Published Date: 02/25/2012 22:07:38
Subject: PRO / E> Deaths, children, cause unknown: Warning - Guatemala (ZA)
Archive Number: 20120226.244179
DEATH, CHILDREN, CAUSE UNKNOWN: ALERT - GUATEMALA (Zacapa)
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A ProMED-mail
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
Date: February 25, 2012
Source: Journal Bald Eye, Venezuela
[Edited by J. Torres]
The Guatemalan authorities issued a "special alert" by the
Six children died because of a strange disease. Classes
were suspended in the region, where the outbreak occurred and
begin vaccination campaigns.
Six children have died in that region of Guatemala. Symptoms
which have submitted include: diarrhea, fever, trouble
breathing, nausea, vomiting and convulsions. The National Center
Epidemiology ruled rotavirus, influenza b, hantavirus and
West Nile virus as the possible diseases that have
killed infants.
This Saturday President Otto Perez Molina and the Minister of Health
Public, Francisco Arredondo, traveled to the affected area, the colony
Model village about 270 kilometers east of the capital
Guatemala, home to about two thousand 800 people, to verify
the situation.
The president said that "we have declared a special alert (the
department) Zacapa, which is under surveillance. "
Meanwhile, Health Minister said that no other region in
the country to present pictures similar to those seen in Zacapa
and denied that it is a neurological syndrome, as had
speculated above.
The director of the National Epidemiology Center, Edgar Manuel Santos,
said that? all these results and all analyzes made here
in Guatemala were sent to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Diseases in Atlanta, USA, to determine the cause
of this disease?, and it is expected that the results are available
next week.
Health authorities try to determine if the deaths were
caused by the presence of toxic waste as used in
pesticides.
National hospital in Zacapa has opened a special room for
care for infants with the aforementioned symptoms. Furthermore, it has been installed
a detachment of medical professionals, serving as the first
control point to the disease.
The health department director, Jaime Guerra, said that
People settled in Modelo and other parts of the region, where
92 professionals including doctors, nurses, medical practitioners and
assistants are willing to provide primary care to
population.
There were 532 children treated between 3 and 14 years, of which nine
have been admitted to hospital.
Reported by: Jaime R. Torres
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