We need volunteers for Central American countries and Caribbean islands. If you have any information relating to bird flu, H5N1 human, mystery illnesses, etc., that you think might help, please add your name, and let’s get this thread started.
Central American countries: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.
Caribbean Islands: Anguilla, Antigua, Barbuda, Aruba, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, Saint Kats, Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Grenadines, Trinidad, Tobago and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Thanks, everybody.
Dengue Fever Spreads in Latin America, Caribbean
Oct-18–2006
Dengue fever is spreading rapidly through Latin America and the Caribbean. More than 1,400 cases of dengue fever are being treated in Panama even as 40 deaths have been reported from the Dominican Republic and 10 in Colombia.
<snip>
The fever is also taking its toll in the Dominican Republic. The total number of patients hit by the disease this year is nearly 4,700, of which 166 are of the haemorrhagic variety.
<snip>
In Colombia, around 16 patients are reportedly hospitalised, while one is in serious condition with aggressive haemorrhagic strain.
Cannot find a North America thread, but this should probably go in here aswell:
Potential Vectors in your land_ http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-10/25/content_5245020.htm
Hemorrhagic Dengue in Honduras Oct 25, 2006 http://tinyurl.com/ybaq6a
[Paraphrased into English & excerpted]
Tegucigalpa. The Hospital School reported the death of an adolescent, apparently because of hemorrhagic dengue. This happened Thursday October 19 when the Marilyn Torres Matute entered the emergency room with the symptoms of dengue, but its condition was such, that in little less than one hour, she passed away. According to the reports, the patient had abundant bleeding from several parts of her body. The cause not yet has been confirmed, pending test results.
In the last weeks the hospital has reported several suspicious cases of the hemorrhagic variant. As of yesterday, the hospital reported the entrance of seven patients, two adults and five children. Of these last, three in the area of emergency and two in the room of hospitalization.
According to the Secretariat of Health, during the 2006 control of dengue (both the classic and hemorrhagic forms) has been significant. To date this year there have been 5,663 reported cases of classic dengue nationally, compared with the 16,037 for this same date last year. For hemorrhagic dengue, until the first fortnight of October 385 cases are reported.
Costa Rica reports significant fall in dengue fever cases
UPDATED: 09:46, October 25, 2006
Costa Rica’s Health Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday that 8,033 cases of dengue fever were reported from the beginning of this year to Oct. 14, down by 75 percent from the same period of last year.
During that period, Costa Rica registered 32,056 cases of the disease. Hemorrhagic dengue fever cases also dropped to 26 from 50, compared with the same period of last year.
The year of 2005 was a particularly bad one for Costa Rica, with nearly 37,800 dengue fever cases and 52 hemorrhagic dengue fever cases reported in the whole year.
Looks like Costa Rica’s dengue fever news is good news.
Thanks, DennisC! I pulled this story from the Close But Not Bird Flu News thread.
Cuba
Cuba is containing an outbreak of dengue fever that has caused a number of deaths, the Pan-American Health Organization said this week, citing a Cuban government report that gave no figures. Cuba’s Minister of Health Jose Ramon Balaguer informed the Washington-based PAHO on Aug 1 that Cuba was facing an outbreak of classic dengue in four of its 14 provinces. An updated Health Ministry report on October 13, posted on PAHO’s Web site this week, said the outbreak had spread in territorial terms, but the number of cases was dropping. “All cases of dengue hemorrhagic fever have taken place in the adult population and have, in a limited number of cases, produced deaths associated with pre-existing chronic pathologies,” it said. Cuba has not said how many people died of dengue. But the Caribbean nation stepped up a campaign in August to eradicate the Aedes Aegypti mosquito that transmits the virus. Health workers have gone door-to-door spraying homes with smoke. Large Soviet-era Antonov 2 biplanes regularly roar over roof-tops spraying insecticide to kill the eggs. Most people who get infected by dengue develop a fever and rash, but recover in five days. The more virulent hemorrhagic form of the fever kills 1 in 20 of those infected.
Thanks, witness, for the heads up in the Close But Not Bird Flu News thread!
Mexico-Oct. 25
“High Incidence of Dengue in Veracruz”—Health Secretary Jon Rementeria of Veracruz,reported 4,500 -plus cases of dengue this year.with 450 of the dangerous hemorrhagic strain.”
Rementeria said 50 percent of the cases are located in seven villages of Boca del Rio. www.plenglish.com
Older date.
Dengue Kills More Dominicans
Santo Domingo, Oct 11 (Prensa Latina) The Dengue fever death toll rose to 40 in the Dominican Republic today while health authorities announced a drop in the number of cases treated in the hospitals.
The total dengue patients this year is 4,672 out of which 166 are of the hemorrhagic variety, noted official sources.
Nevertheless, the Dominican Public Health Secretary Bautista Rojas revealed the Education Secretariat will incorporate students to eliminate breeding grounds due to frequent rains.
He urged families to keep up prevention measures and recommended avoid contact with breeding areas of the mosquito Aedes Aegypti mosquito, the transmitter of this endemic disease.
El Salvador
Machine translation- 18-Oct-2006 for article about decline in Dengue Fever
Health diminishes level of alert by dengue in El Salvador Wednesday 18 of October, 2006 [ 13:18:00 ] hour of Costa Rica San Salvador, 18 oct (ACAN-EFE). - The Salvadoran sanitary authorities today decided to diminish of red to yellow the alert decreed in three departments of the country because of dengue, nevertheless raised of green yellow the alert in a fourth department. The minister of Health, Guillermo Mace, informed in a press conference, that before the constant reduction that has been observed in the cases confirmed of dengue during the last weeks, the central departments of San Salvador, the Freedom and the western one of Sonsonate, happens to yellow alert. The authorities maintained a red alert (Maxima) in such from the past 22 of August representing the 72 percent of the cases national level. The authorities also decided to change of green (preventive) to yellow (previous to the Maxima) the effective alert in the western department of Santa Ana by the increase in the cases of the disease that have been registered in that place, reason why add the four departments that will stay in that level of alert. According to the authorities, of 1,175 cases that suspicious of dengue in the first week of September were reduced to 634 in the first week of October, arriving at 484 in the previous week, which represents a diminution of a 60 percent. On the other hand, the cases confirmed “during last the four weeks have been reduced in more of the 50 percent happening from 579 to 387 and later to 220 at national level”, it indicates an official notice official. The authorities maintain in four the number of infants who have died east year because of dengue hemorrágico, disease that in the 2002 summoned up the life of nine children and an adult. According to official numbers, in which she goes of the year the cases confirmed of dengue classic ascend to 7,668, whereas in the same period of the 2005 5,886, whereas the people which they have been affected by dengue hemorrágico ascend to 209, superior to the 157 were confirmed the previous year. Dengue is an infectious disease that causes fever, vomits, pain in the body, after the puncture of some mosquito infected with some of the four serotipos that have been identified of the virus. If a person who already has had dengue classic is pricked by another mosquito infected with some of the other three serotipos, can develop dengue hemorrágico, that such entails symptoms plus the bled one in different parts from the body, reason why can be mortal. ACAN-EFE According to the Pan-American Organization of Salud (OPS), this is the only recommended drug to deal with the symptoms dengue. To ingest any other analgesic, in special one those that contain aspirin or acetilsalicílico acid (AAS), can put in risk the life of a patient with this badly, since it could increase the possibility of hemorrhages and this would be fatal, specially in the case of dengue hemorrágico. Acetaminofén or paracetamol, as also it is denominated to him, is a medicine of free sale that, in agreement with the British Medical Association, is effective to treat the pain and can be consumed by most of the patients (young and adult) since it does not irritate the stomach nor it produces bled. That yes, asesórese or with the doctor or phamacist on the dose recommended for each age then, like any drug, is not necessary to exceed.
Costa Rica
machine translation
‘’‘New virus of dengue extends to more zones Susceptibility of people to the virus elevates the hemorrágico risk of dengue in country’‘’
Until the 13 of October, report 74% less cases than in the 2005 Ángela Ávalos R. aavalosl@nacion.com Virus 2 of dengue extended to other zones of the country and now it threatens becoming ill to the neighbors of Ravine, Esparza and Garabito, in the province of Puntarenas. Until it does few weeks, the cases were prisoners to the corner of Garabito, in the zone of Horseshoe. There, in June, a family of five members first was infected. Recently, patients detected themselves in Scatters and Ravine. Serotipo 2 of dengue reingresó to the country after four years of absence. Until June, single serotipo 1 of dengue was present (the classic call dengue). In previous years the 2 have circulated and the 3. Cases of serotipo or subspecies 4 have never been detected. When reingresar to the country serotipo 2, the population elevates until in a 50% its possibilities of developing dengue hemorrágico, because it does not have defenses against the new virus and is exposed to develop more severe pictures. Reports are had of which in countries of the region, like Nicaragua, serotipo 4 circulates. For that reason, the authorities of Health call the attention so that the guard does not lower and they are continued eliminating the deposits of the transmitting mosquito, the Aedes aegypti. The mosquito infected with the virus is the person in charge to transmit it between the people, being caused to them a picture that includes high fever, corporal pain and, in the most serious cases (dengue hemorrágico) loss of internal liquids. It alerts. The threat arises at moments at which the institutional, communal efforts and of the private company have managed to reduce in a 74% the patients this year. In agreement with the last registries of the Ministry of Health, corresponding to the second week of October, single 7,318 people had become infected with the virus. For the same week epidemiologist of the last year (number 38), they had registered 28,327 patients and two deaths. These last ones caused by dengue hemorrágico. The 2005 closed with more than 37,000 patients and ¢5.000 million inverted in taking care of the emergency. In which it goes of the year has not taken place no death. Nevertheless, reingreso of the new virus puts on the alert to the Ministry of Health and the Costa Rican Box of Seguro Social (CCSS). The zones with more reports of patients continue being the Atlantic Huetar (Lemon), with 24% of all the cases; the Chorotega region (Guanacaste), with 17% of the patients, and the Brunca region (the south of Puntarenas), with 15%. Until the second week of single October 21 patients of dengue had detected themselves hemorrágico. Most of them (76% of the cases) in the Central Pacific. For the Pan-American Organization of Salud (OPS) - regional arm of the World-wide Organization of the Health -, Costa Rica is one of the most successful countries of the continent in the fight against dengue. According to Humberto Montiel, epidemiólogo of the OPS, is not due to lower the guard. “We must intensify the communitarian actions and of education to hit this noticeable reduction of cases”. Montiel must part of the success to the implementation of the Strategy of Management Integrated, coordinated between Ministry of Health and the Box of Social Insurance.
Ok, folks, I have to go help a friend move today and tomorrow. I got a reprieve yesterday due to rain, but there will be no reprieve from the winds today.
http://www.library.yale.edu/Internet/latinamericanews.html#gen
Here is a link for news sources in Latin America. If anyone else has some free time, please feel free to look up some articles.
Here’s a link to a translation site from altavista. Should help you out with a language barrier. http://babelfish.altavista.com/tr
I start looking for:
gripe gripe de pajaro fiebre de dengue influenza aviar pandemia tosa respiratorio
That should get you started!!
Ok, how about I start looking for:
gripe, gripe de pajaro, fiebre de dengue, influenza aviar, pandemia, tosa, respiratorio
and now that should get you started!!
I’ve searched newspapers in the areas of Caribbean, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba & Dominican Republic. I didn’t find any new information. There were some stories on the bird flu in the newspapers.
I did find a picture of dead chickens in Israel from the Clarin in Argentina. I posted the link on the news thread.
I checked the Pan American Health Organization’s website. The numbers for Dengue fever are listed there. Cases are up, but it looks like global warming more than bird flu.
Please post any articles that you might find on these regions in here! Thanks!
Puerto Rico
Dated October 06, 2006
Mystery Virus Hits Central Puerto Rico Officials say more than 200 children, adults fall ill with mystery virus in Puerto Rico(AP) More than 200 children and adults have fallen ill with a mystery virus in central Puerto Rico, forcing officials to close down a local school, officials said Friday.
Four parents and two teachers sickened by the virus were hospitalized, the Education Department said. Another four parents and 197 students at the Escuela Federico Degetau I in Aibonito had caught the virus _ the origin of which was not known….
I’m looking for a follow up story to see how these kids are doing. Thanks for the heads up to witness on the Not Bird Flu But Close NEWS thread.
Here’s an excerpt from an article that says that classes started back up on October 9 when they deemed the school safe. All I’m finding are subscription articles at the moment…
Se instó a tomar precauciones por las fuertes lluvias que se registrarán en toda la Isla. SAN JUAN - El Servicio Nacional de Meteorología (SNM) emitió hoy una vigilancia de inundaciones repentinas para toda la Isla, incluyendo Vieques y Culebra. http://tinyurl.com/yhlkcp
Article from Nicaragua. It is dated from September 20, 2006. They are going to begin testing and searching for H5N1 starting November 1. Machine translation listed below.
Bird influenza would be demographic disaster in Nicaragua * Central America and the Caribbean will make a maneuvers to sharpen actions * They will mount severe monitoring on bird-raising farms and migratory birds
Melvin Martinez | mmartinez@elnuevodiario.com.ni
At least average million of hospitalized and about 50 thousand deceaseds would let in Nicaragua an influenza pandemic make haste, considered the vice-minister of Health, Israel Kontorovsky, that recognized the imminent arrival of the virus of influenza to make haste to Central America.
Kontorovsky participated in representation of the Ministry of Health of Nicaragua in the Meeting of the Sector Health of Central America, Panama and Dominican Republic (Resscad), where the accomplishment remembered a simultaneous maneuvers in the countries members in the middle of November. The Resscad is an initiative of the countries of the region, developed with the technical support of the Pan-American Organization of the Health, in order to facilitate the interchange of data and sanitary information in diverse thematic areas to fortify the elaboration of national and subregional plans of health.
“We decided that in the first week of November we will discuss the accomplishment of a maneuvers to regional level in which Panama, Belize, Republic Dominicana and Central America will participate, countries members of the Cabinet of Health of Central America”, added. It added that each country has its national program of prevention, mitigación and treatment in case that arrived the epidemic, and to their time, the integrated plans of each country conform the regional plan to do to him a possible pandemic as opposed to.
“That is dangerous (the bird influence), that is not like metanol, when we want to react, if we have not taken measures and we have not taken the diagnosis would be catastrophic for Nicaragua, for that reason it is the preoccupation of the Minsa to make exercises of maneuverses and to be maintaining information and alerts in joint work with the Magfor”, said the civil employee.
It affirmed that a contingent plan integrated by the Magfor, Minsa and other institutions of the State exists, and is a multisectorial plan that defines actions, as much in the health area animal like in the area of human health. In addition, they are putting in knowledge of the plan to the personnel of health at national level. It indicated that the first part of the plan, that corresponds to him to the Magfor, is the migratory monitoring of all the farms and wild birds.
In agreement with the studies that have made, in Nicaragua the virus of the bird influence in any of its types does not exist. It said that although the Minsa cannot take animal samples, are being fortified with the search of equipment to detect the virus and supplying with material and sufficient medicines.
Kontorovsky explained that virus H5N1 already passed two of the three stages that are needed to be developed like pandemic. The first stage is the transmission of the bird to the human being; second, the retort in the human being; and one third and crucial one, the transmission of human to human. “When third one occurs, it will be an imminent pandemic”, it alerted the vice-minister. Nevertheless, like the virus it has not undergone that mutation that causes I infect between humans, still does not exist a vaccine, but all the countries must prepared to develop based preventive actions, mainly, in the hygiene and the preparation of the services of health, so that the medical attention to the people who need it is of the best quality. “If the pandemic arrived at Nicaragua he would be catastrophic. The calculations indicate that we would have around 50 thousand deaths and a little more than average million of hospitalized. One is not to put to the population in fear or to alarm it, but they must know that if this occurs, they must obey strictly to the instructions of the Minsa “, concluded.
Panama update on the poisoning of the government issued medications. Apparently they have not recoved 20,000 of the 100,000 bottles issued. If they still can’t recover these bottles due to communication problems, how will they alert these people in the event of a pandemic?
First comes nausea and diarrhea. Then the facial muscles relax — cheeks actually sag. Next comes kidney failure, paralysis and often death. Those are the symptoms spreading in Panama, where contaminated government-issued medicines — cough syrup, antihistamine tablets, calamine lotion and rash ointment — have killed 34 people since July. More than 40 others have been hospitalized, at least half in critical condition. The government has recalled 24 types of medication produced by Panama’s social-security system, suspended production at all government pharmaceutical factories and even gone door-to-door to issue warnings and collect contaminated remedies.
But people keep dying. “We are facing a crisis,” said David Abrego, director of a government clinic evaluating hundreds of people who fear being poisoned. “The people are apprehensive. There’s a lot of tension and nervousness.” The contaminated medicines contained a chemical cousin of antifreeze: diethylene glycol, which is used to keep glue and cosmetics moist. Officials think it made its way into 100,000 bottles of cough syrup, 20,000 of which have not been recovered. It is unclear how much of the other contaminated medicines are still on the street.
The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first traced the outbreak to contaminated cough syrup Oct.12. Panamanian authorities soon realized it involved other medicines as well. On Oct.18, Panama set up 34 round-the-clock clinics across the nation to identify those sickened, performing blood tests for signs of kidney damage. The Health Ministry announced Friday that nearly 50,000 people have had blood tests performed across the country. Abrego said officials are particularly worried about rural areas, where information about the medicine is scarce. http://tinyurl.com/yxls2s
Costa Rica Oct. 30, 2006
Increase in cases of dengue fever in Santa Cruz, Guanacaste
Translated synopsis: Santa Cruz has seen an alarming increase in dengue cases in the last two weeks, with 30 patients daily. Up to Thursday of the last week, 1,334 cases of classic dengue and 7 cases of the hemorraghic type were registered. A massive mosquito eradication campaign is being launched in the area.
Blue Ridge Mountain Mom - Great work. I’ve been scouring Mexican newspapers and have found no mention so far of Bird Flu, but I will keep searching.
From “El Universal.Com.Mx” in the “Salud” Section:
November 1, 2006 - The vaccines against the influenza are not as effective as it is created, according to notices from an expert, that it requests “urgent” a reevaluation of the immunization campaigns, indicates the magazine medical “British Medical Journal.” The expert Tom Jefferson, of the Cochrane Collaboration, an international organism dedicated to evaluate medical studies, considers that there are few clinical tests on the effect of vaccines in the campaigns against the influenza. In the Kingdom Together with the winter campaign offers vaccines to the greater people of 65 years and people with pulmonary problems and a weak immunological system. In an article that it publishes in the BMJ, Jefferson says that for the virus of influenza mutates and varies year after year, reason why it is difficult to study of way it needs to effect the vaccination. The sanitary people in charge want to show the population who take measures in the matter of immunization, reason why this often takes to a “great difference” between the policy and the evidence, thinks Jefferson.
Las Cabos, Mexico - Dengue
Francisco Cardoza, Secretary of Health of Baja California Sur, reported that the increase in dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever cases in Los Cabos, BCS, Mexico, that total 63, requires strengthened epidemiological measures. The state agency has sent 70 additional workers to support the 40 who are working to lower larvae indices of the mosquito that transmits dengue fever and to control the outbreak. In Acapulco, Guerrero, authorities report a rise of 166 dengue cases in just six days, in both of its manifestations, which brings the total to 1,156 cases in this tourist destination. The Secretariat of Health has invested [US$1.4 million] in the fight against the transmitting mosquito. The incidence of dengue, that in its hemorrhagic fever form is life threatening, remains at high levels in the states of Veracruz, Guerrero and Quintana Roo, where 10,757 cases and five deaths have been recorded this year due to the resistance of the people to collaborate in official prevention programs, and in programs to fight the mosquito that transmits the disease.
“They Make Maneuvers Against Influenza to Make Haste,” by Ruth Rodriguez, ElUniversal.com.mx, October 11, 2006:
The single one sneeze of a person infected abroad with the virus of influenza to make haste would be cause sufficient to propagate this disease in the country and to turn it a pandemic. In order to be prepared and to do it in front of a scene of this magnitude, the National Committee for the Security in Health, in that diverse medical institutions, state secretariats of State and governments participate, yesterday made the maneuvers Shield Sentry. In simultaneous way, 2,500 people partiicpated in the Federal District, Chihuahua, Tabasco and Hidalgo. The authorities of epidemiologia of the Secretariat of Health recognized that, in case that a pandemic in Mexico appeared, 35% of the population would be affected, and would happen (result in) 200,000 deaths in only half a year. Raul Olmedo Nunez, assistant director of Urgencies Epidemiologists and Disasters of the Secretariat of Health, explained that influenza H5N1 is transmitted via aerial and in sites of agglomeration, reason why only coarse that an infected person sneezes so that she infects to all. The civil employee indicated that the first symptoms appear of six to seven days after 1 infect, and are very similar to the common cold, but with more serious a clinical picture and greater incidence in the winter stage. Influenza to make haste is characterized by elevated fever, nasal congestion, muscular headaches, intense pains and physical malaise in general.
Jamaica
Nov 7, 2006- Veterinary Services Division Conducts Bird Flu Response Exercise
- “Senior Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands recently tested the nation’s ability to respond to animal disease outbreak in the island, particularly, the Avian Influenza (Bird Flu).
The simulation exercise took place in Old Harbour, St. Catherine is the first of its kind to be staged in the island.
Dr. Headley Edwards, Director of Veterinary Services in the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands told JIS News that the mock exercise was intended to evaluate the level of the country’s preparedness in the event of an actual outbreak of Bird Flu.
“While there is no Avian Influenza outbreak in Jamaica at this time, it is important for us to be able to respond efficiently to contain and eliminate any possible outbreaks and Jamaica has to take a proactive approach to the matter of disease prevention,” he said, while adding that the simulation exercise had a regional perspective.
He noted that participants from another 11 CARICOM (Caribbean Community) nations including Barbados, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Dominica, Cayman Islands, and Suriname, had been invited…”
more… http://tinyurl.com/u9oqf
Cuba contains dengue fever outbreak
HAVANA — An epidemic of dengue fever that flooded hospitals and may have killed as many as 100 Cubans has been brought under control by a fumigation campaign.
The outbreak was the worst in a quarter of a century and appears to have afflicted thousands during its peak in September and October. Infections have slowed to a few dozen new cases this month, said a senior doctor familiar with the scope of the epidemic, who added that the response was initially slowed by government secrecy.
More at: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/health/4335279.html
closed and continued here