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http://www.miamiherald.com/news/world/AP/story/1213208.html
Posted on Tuesday, 09.01.09
Colombia's Uribe becomes 2nd Latin American president to come down with swine flu
Colombia's Uribe recovering from swine flu
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe is still recovering from the swine flu, and now his defense minister is showing some symptoms of the illness, officials said Monday.
Uribe, 57, was diagnosed with swine flu when he returned from Friday's summit of South American leaders and his government urged other leaders who attended the meeting in Bariloche, Argentina, to check if they have been infected.
A day after Uribe's illness was revealed, the presidential office said Monday that Defense Minister Gabriel Silva has swine flu symptoms, including "fever, general discomfort and cough." Although it hasn't been confirmed he has the virus, Silva is being kept isolated and treated for swine flu.
Colombian president comes down with the swine flu
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has the swine flu and officials have advised other South American leaders who met with him at a summit of the infection, authorities said Sunday.
The 57-year-old Uribe began feeling symptoms Friday, the same day as a meeting of South American presidents in Bariloche, Argentina, and he was confirmed to have swine flu after returning home, Social Protection Minister Diego Palacio said.
"This isn't something that has us scared," Palacio said at a news conference. Uribe, a key U.S. ally in Latin America, is not considered a high-risk patient and will continue working from his computer, officials said.
Costa Rica's Oscar Arias sees a lesson in his swine flu
Costa Rican President Oscar Arias remained in self-imposed quarantine Thursday after revealing that he had contracted swine flu.
``Apart from ailments like fever and a sore throat, I feel in good condition and capable of carrying out my responsibilities through telecommute,'' Arias said in a statement from his home, where he's waiting out the seven-day contagious period. ``The pandemic does not discriminate.''
It's unclear how the 68-year-old president contracted the virus, which has infected more than 177,000 people worldwide and been blamed for more than 1,270 deaths. But Arias, who most recently made headlines for his role in the Honduran peace talks, is using swine flu as a teaching tool in a region where infections are on the rise.
Cuba suspends flights; others block imports
The government of Cuba suspended flights to and from Mexico for 48 hours, Russia banned imported pork from at least 11 U.S. states and medical help lines in Europe were inundated, as the world reacted apprehensively Tuesday to the swine flu outbreak.
Venezuela, Russia and Guatemala warned their citizens against traveling to Mexico and the United States. Peru and Britain limited the warning to Mexico. Argentina announced a five-day ban on flights arriving from Mexico.
In Costa Rica, the health minister suggested that its citizens temporarily stop greeting one another with the traditional kiss on the cheek. Costa Rican officials confirmed their first case Tuesday, a 21-year-old woman who arrived on a flight from Mexico last week.
By TYLER BRIDGES
McClatchy Newspapers
CARACAS, Venezuela -- As if the job weren't difficult enough, being a Latin American president suddenly has become more perilous.
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has come down with swine flu - he was recuperating at home Tuesday in Bogota - becoming the second Latin American president, after Costa Rica's Oscar Arias, to be victimized by the virus in less than a month.
Now at least six other Latin American presidents who met Friday with Uribe, the day he began to suffer from the flu's telltale signs, are being watched for symptoms. One of those, Evo Morales of Bolivia, said he was taking the flu-fighting drug Tamiflu in hopes of warding off the illness.
The infection rate for Latin American presidents so far is more than 10 times the global average of less than 1 percent. However, the significance of two falling ill from the virus is more than just a statistical oddity, flu experts said. It's a reminder that everyday activities put everyone at risk of coming into contact with the virus.
"Presidents shake a lot of hands," said Gregory Hartl, a spokesman for the World Health Organization. "The more people you come into contact with, the greater chance you'll contract the virus."
"Disease knows no boundary and respects no rank," said Daniel Epstein, the Pan American Health Organization's spokesman. "The best prevention - besides taking medicines when they become available - is an emphasis on personal hygiene, especially cleaning hands with soap and water. This goes for everybody, including presidents."
Latin America has the highest infection rate for swine flu in the world, with Brazil, Argentina and Chile among the leaders in flu incidence, according to the World Health Organization. That's no surprise, experts said. It's flu season in the Southern Hemisphere, where it's winter, and in tropical Northern Hemisphere countries such as Costa Rica and Colombia, where it's the rainy season.
Cases should start dropping in those areas as winter ends and should pick up in the United States in the next month or two, when the flu season begins to take hold there.
Worldwide, the World Health Organization reports, at least 209,438 people had been infected as of Aug. 23 since the first cases were reported in May in Mexico and San Diego. The number of reported deaths is 2,185.
Uribe's illness is a reminder of how virulent a flu infection can be. Some 20 senior government officials who've come into contact with Uribe have been screened for the H1N1 virus, which causes swine flu. Colombia's foreign minister was isolated for 20 hours Monday in China before he was cleared.
Uribe is working in virtual isolation, his spokesman said, and while he's expected to return to work Thursday, doctors advised him to wear a face mask when he received visitors, who also were required to wear the facial protection.
Uribe began to suffer from fever, headaches and backaches after Friday's meeting with the other presidents at Bariloche, Argentina, a renowned ski resort.
Presidents at the gathering included Argentina's Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Chile's Michelle Bachelet, Ecuador's Rafael Correa and Peru's Alan Garcia. None has reported signs of flu yet.
"I've been with the minister" of health, Garcia said Monday. "I don't have any symptoms like a headache or fever."
On Tuesday, Morales said he was taking Tamiflu just in case.
"They gave me a checkup and told me that I don't have anything," Morales said.
Arias began to show virus symptoms Aug. 9, and doctors diagnosed him with swine flu two days later. He spent a week recovering at home and has returned to the job.
"He seemed none the worse for wear. He was pretty lively," said Epstein, of the Pan American Health Organization, who attended a ceremony with Arias last week in Costa Rica.
Health officials in Colombia and Costa Rica said they didn't know how Uribe and Arias had been infected, since they could have been suffering from the virus for up to seven days without showing symptoms
Posted on Tuesday, 09.01.09
Colombia's Uribe becomes 2nd Latin American president to come down with swine flu
Colombia's Uribe recovering from swine flu
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe is still recovering from the swine flu, and now his defense minister is showing some symptoms of the illness, officials said Monday.
Uribe, 57, was diagnosed with swine flu when he returned from Friday's summit of South American leaders and his government urged other leaders who attended the meeting in Bariloche, Argentina, to check if they have been infected.
A day after Uribe's illness was revealed, the presidential office said Monday that Defense Minister Gabriel Silva has swine flu symptoms, including "fever, general discomfort and cough." Although it hasn't been confirmed he has the virus, Silva is being kept isolated and treated for swine flu.
Colombian president comes down with the swine flu
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has the swine flu and officials have advised other South American leaders who met with him at a summit of the infection, authorities said Sunday.
The 57-year-old Uribe began feeling symptoms Friday, the same day as a meeting of South American presidents in Bariloche, Argentina, and he was confirmed to have swine flu after returning home, Social Protection Minister Diego Palacio said.
"This isn't something that has us scared," Palacio said at a news conference. Uribe, a key U.S. ally in Latin America, is not considered a high-risk patient and will continue working from his computer, officials said.
Costa Rica's Oscar Arias sees a lesson in his swine flu
Costa Rican President Oscar Arias remained in self-imposed quarantine Thursday after revealing that he had contracted swine flu.
``Apart from ailments like fever and a sore throat, I feel in good condition and capable of carrying out my responsibilities through telecommute,'' Arias said in a statement from his home, where he's waiting out the seven-day contagious period. ``The pandemic does not discriminate.''
It's unclear how the 68-year-old president contracted the virus, which has infected more than 177,000 people worldwide and been blamed for more than 1,270 deaths. But Arias, who most recently made headlines for his role in the Honduran peace talks, is using swine flu as a teaching tool in a region where infections are on the rise.
Cuba suspends flights; others block imports
The government of Cuba suspended flights to and from Mexico for 48 hours, Russia banned imported pork from at least 11 U.S. states and medical help lines in Europe were inundated, as the world reacted apprehensively Tuesday to the swine flu outbreak.
Venezuela, Russia and Guatemala warned their citizens against traveling to Mexico and the United States. Peru and Britain limited the warning to Mexico. Argentina announced a five-day ban on flights arriving from Mexico.
In Costa Rica, the health minister suggested that its citizens temporarily stop greeting one another with the traditional kiss on the cheek. Costa Rican officials confirmed their first case Tuesday, a 21-year-old woman who arrived on a flight from Mexico last week.
By TYLER BRIDGES
McClatchy Newspapers
CARACAS, Venezuela -- As if the job weren't difficult enough, being a Latin American president suddenly has become more perilous.
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has come down with swine flu - he was recuperating at home Tuesday in Bogota - becoming the second Latin American president, after Costa Rica's Oscar Arias, to be victimized by the virus in less than a month.
Now at least six other Latin American presidents who met Friday with Uribe, the day he began to suffer from the flu's telltale signs, are being watched for symptoms. One of those, Evo Morales of Bolivia, said he was taking the flu-fighting drug Tamiflu in hopes of warding off the illness.
The infection rate for Latin American presidents so far is more than 10 times the global average of less than 1 percent. However, the significance of two falling ill from the virus is more than just a statistical oddity, flu experts said. It's a reminder that everyday activities put everyone at risk of coming into contact with the virus.
"Presidents shake a lot of hands," said Gregory Hartl, a spokesman for the World Health Organization. "The more people you come into contact with, the greater chance you'll contract the virus."
"Disease knows no boundary and respects no rank," said Daniel Epstein, the Pan American Health Organization's spokesman. "The best prevention - besides taking medicines when they become available - is an emphasis on personal hygiene, especially cleaning hands with soap and water. This goes for everybody, including presidents."
Latin America has the highest infection rate for swine flu in the world, with Brazil, Argentina and Chile among the leaders in flu incidence, according to the World Health Organization. That's no surprise, experts said. It's flu season in the Southern Hemisphere, where it's winter, and in tropical Northern Hemisphere countries such as Costa Rica and Colombia, where it's the rainy season.
Cases should start dropping in those areas as winter ends and should pick up in the United States in the next month or two, when the flu season begins to take hold there.
Worldwide, the World Health Organization reports, at least 209,438 people had been infected as of Aug. 23 since the first cases were reported in May in Mexico and San Diego. The number of reported deaths is 2,185.
Uribe's illness is a reminder of how virulent a flu infection can be. Some 20 senior government officials who've come into contact with Uribe have been screened for the H1N1 virus, which causes swine flu. Colombia's foreign minister was isolated for 20 hours Monday in China before he was cleared.
Uribe is working in virtual isolation, his spokesman said, and while he's expected to return to work Thursday, doctors advised him to wear a face mask when he received visitors, who also were required to wear the facial protection.
Uribe began to suffer from fever, headaches and backaches after Friday's meeting with the other presidents at Bariloche, Argentina, a renowned ski resort.
Presidents at the gathering included Argentina's Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Chile's Michelle Bachelet, Ecuador's Rafael Correa and Peru's Alan Garcia. None has reported signs of flu yet.
"I've been with the minister" of health, Garcia said Monday. "I don't have any symptoms like a headache or fever."
On Tuesday, Morales said he was taking Tamiflu just in case.
"They gave me a checkup and told me that I don't have anything," Morales said.
Arias began to show virus symptoms Aug. 9, and doctors diagnosed him with swine flu two days later. He spent a week recovering at home and has returned to the job.
"He seemed none the worse for wear. He was pretty lively," said Epstein, of the Pan American Health Organization, who attended a ceremony with Arias last week in Costa Rica.
Health officials in Colombia and Costa Rica said they didn't know how Uribe and Arias had been infected, since they could have been suffering from the virus for up to seven days without showing symptoms