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Experts predict advance human influenza arrival intensity in Northern Hemisphere
Fort virus circulation in North America and Europe since September brings specialists to warn about a possible outbreak in March. First official event of 2009 was in late April.
by Oriana Fernandez
An advance in the arrival of the outbreak of human influenza (H1N1) could be present in the country. According to experts, the circulation of the virus earlier than expected in the Northern Hemisphere is an indication that in the Southern Cone cases could be next March, a month earlier than predicted.
The director of the Chilean Society of Infectious Diseases and advises the Ministry of Health regarding the pandemic H1N1, Jeanette Dabanch, says that between September and last October there was an increase of cases in Europe and the U.S., although it is normal to appear in November .
"In Chile there could also be an advance to next March, so the population and health centers should be prepared for this second outbreak in the country and vaccination is recommended," said the expert.
Last year, a study found that Minsal April 28 the first contamination occurred in Puerto Montt, Region X, but the first officer reported he met almost a month later.
According to the latest report from the World Health Organization-January 22 this year, more than 209 countries reported cases of pandemic influenza last year. The circulation areas are now pandemic influenza in North Africa, Asia and some parts of Eastern Europe. In North America, Canada, last month increased consultations by the disease was detected even in patients resistant to antivirals.
Dabanch adds that when an outbreak occurs, 10 to 12% of the population could be infected with the virus again, as happened last year.
Chief of Pediatrics at UC Hospital and advisor to the group on pandemic, Enrique Paris, said it "may possibly be a breakthrough, considering what happened outside. We see that there are cases in Chile during this summer."
Cases
According to the report of January 26 Minsal past, there have been 368 thousand people with symptoms from the virus in the country. Of these, only in January this year there were 47 outpatient cases and five others were confirmed by test PCR. Four of these patients were women with an average age of 52. The official report says that most people who were infected with human influenza possibly made outside Chile.
Enrique Paris explained that some of the areas where we must make greater surveillance-according to official figures, is the Atacama region (with a rate of 9.8 per 100 thousand inhabitants) and Los R?os (with a rate of 8.7 per 100 thousand inhabitants). "You have to identify the causes of contagion in these areas, but in general they are persons infected abroad and who came to the country," says the expert from UC.
Prepare vaccination
The Ministry of Health clinics and prepare for human influenza vaccination from next March.
Health reported that supply vaccines to the population at risk, such as minors, pregnant women, elderly and chronically ill.
The government plans to put two million inoculations in population and use the vaccine, "monovalent" against human influenza. The decision was made because most of the H1N1 virus circulating is for and not another. The major private clinics offer the vaccine, "versatile", ie the one that protects against two evils: the seasonal influenza and the H1N1 type.
As a result, there are at least two laboratories confirmed the arrival of the drug since March and an average price of $ 14 billion for the user.