Commonground
Senior Moderator
Argentina: Maximum health alert / Standardize policies for all districts Influenza A: increasing paralysis of activities
Tuesday July 7, 2009
Franco Varis
THE NATION
The fear of influenza A put a brake on sudden and unexpected to the overall activity in major cities around the country, although the Government insists discourage the closure of places of mass attendance. Less people in the streets, shows, cinemas and restaurants with almost no public faces many shops empty and chinstrap are already covered by the urban landscape.
A landscape of paralysis that could be maintained for some time, because the government decreed analyzed off next Friday (which is reported on page 11). In addition, yesterday began the forced school recess connecting with winter and will last until the end of the month. He also started the show early and judicial, for the first time since 1918, all the theaters in the country remain closed for 10 days (see Shows).
Even the Congress today decided to cease its activities as a measure to prevent the increasing number of cases of influenza in the country. Also the act of the AMIA, scheduled for 18, was postponed, like the memory in the Plaza Lavalle.
Shopping yesterday in the capital and large cities were almost no audience. The decision to suspend people from their outlets is reflected even in the guards of the hospital until recently and now crowded avoided as a potential source of infection.
Absenteeism began to become evident in private companies and public agencies, not only for cases of engripados to leave but they are taking preventive relatives of patients and risk groups such as pregnant women and immunosuppressed. And in the province of Buenos Aires, parents of children under 14 years who are not attending schools.
At home, meanwhile, continued to expand the restrictive measures of activities, such as the closure of casinos in Central Mar del Plata, Santa Fe, Victoria, Tandil and Melincu?, and the Casino del Mar.
In the midst of growing social concern, the Ministry of Health yesterday announced that the country entered a phase of "mitigation" of the H1N1 virus that so far only included the metropolitan area.
This means that the government recommends starting now prescribe oseltamivir (Tamiflu) to all persons over 15 years having 38 ? or more of fever and respiratory problems. Health authorities noted that these patients exhibit a predisposition to medical complications, like pregnant women and people with existing diseases.
Meanwhile, yesterday the Health Minister, Juan Manzur said that 90% of those who had flu-like symptoms since last May were, in fact, influenza A. The number of deaths as of yesterday was 65, according to official data.
These definitions came from a gathering of all ministers of health of the country with the aim of unifying criteria, because the divergence of the methods of combating the spread of the virus had begun to complicate the strategies.
"For all patients with acute respiratory disease requiring hospitalization must suministr?rsele medication, as well as those belonging to a risk group and those older than 15 years presenting symptoms," said Manzur.
In addition, the minister was surprised to say, before the consultation, that the national health emergency "is issued since 2002." Manzur addressed to decree 486, which was given exceptional powers to the administrative agency in the midst of an economic emergency. The rule, which was broadcast yesterday, curiously, is not that sought by the former Minister of Health asked Graciela Oca?a when the sanction of a more comprehensive health emergency.
"It is declared and is using it, but we must clarify that the emergency is an administrative act and not a medical act," said Manzur.
One of the biggest concerns is that the stock of oseltamivir with which the Argentina. While the Government reported that two million of "treatments" (boxes with ten tablets) are available, the provinces did not receive the items. Moreover, according to some sources, the laboratory would have received Roche Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, the order by the Government over 1.8 million boxes of Tamiflu.
Almost two months of the international emergency, Argentina does not have the required number of rapid diagnostic kits for hospitals, which would enable to confirm the disease in four hours. Therefore, one of the measures announced yesterday is that only the swab will continue to seriously ill patients.
Tuesday July 7, 2009
Franco Varis
THE NATION
The fear of influenza A put a brake on sudden and unexpected to the overall activity in major cities around the country, although the Government insists discourage the closure of places of mass attendance. Less people in the streets, shows, cinemas and restaurants with almost no public faces many shops empty and chinstrap are already covered by the urban landscape.
A landscape of paralysis that could be maintained for some time, because the government decreed analyzed off next Friday (which is reported on page 11). In addition, yesterday began the forced school recess connecting with winter and will last until the end of the month. He also started the show early and judicial, for the first time since 1918, all the theaters in the country remain closed for 10 days (see Shows).
Even the Congress today decided to cease its activities as a measure to prevent the increasing number of cases of influenza in the country. Also the act of the AMIA, scheduled for 18, was postponed, like the memory in the Plaza Lavalle.
Shopping yesterday in the capital and large cities were almost no audience. The decision to suspend people from their outlets is reflected even in the guards of the hospital until recently and now crowded avoided as a potential source of infection.
Absenteeism began to become evident in private companies and public agencies, not only for cases of engripados to leave but they are taking preventive relatives of patients and risk groups such as pregnant women and immunosuppressed. And in the province of Buenos Aires, parents of children under 14 years who are not attending schools.
At home, meanwhile, continued to expand the restrictive measures of activities, such as the closure of casinos in Central Mar del Plata, Santa Fe, Victoria, Tandil and Melincu?, and the Casino del Mar.
In the midst of growing social concern, the Ministry of Health yesterday announced that the country entered a phase of "mitigation" of the H1N1 virus that so far only included the metropolitan area.
This means that the government recommends starting now prescribe oseltamivir (Tamiflu) to all persons over 15 years having 38 ? or more of fever and respiratory problems. Health authorities noted that these patients exhibit a predisposition to medical complications, like pregnant women and people with existing diseases.
Meanwhile, yesterday the Health Minister, Juan Manzur said that 90% of those who had flu-like symptoms since last May were, in fact, influenza A. The number of deaths as of yesterday was 65, according to official data.
These definitions came from a gathering of all ministers of health of the country with the aim of unifying criteria, because the divergence of the methods of combating the spread of the virus had begun to complicate the strategies.
"For all patients with acute respiratory disease requiring hospitalization must suministr?rsele medication, as well as those belonging to a risk group and those older than 15 years presenting symptoms," said Manzur.
In addition, the minister was surprised to say, before the consultation, that the national health emergency "is issued since 2002." Manzur addressed to decree 486, which was given exceptional powers to the administrative agency in the midst of an economic emergency. The rule, which was broadcast yesterday, curiously, is not that sought by the former Minister of Health asked Graciela Oca?a when the sanction of a more comprehensive health emergency.
"It is declared and is using it, but we must clarify that the emergency is an administrative act and not a medical act," said Manzur.
One of the biggest concerns is that the stock of oseltamivir with which the Argentina. While the Government reported that two million of "treatments" (boxes with ten tablets) are available, the provinces did not receive the items. Moreover, according to some sources, the laboratory would have received Roche Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, the order by the Government over 1.8 million boxes of Tamiflu.
Almost two months of the international emergency, Argentina does not have the required number of rapid diagnostic kits for hospitals, which would enable to confirm the disease in four hours. Therefore, one of the measures announced yesterday is that only the swab will continue to seriously ill patients.