The swine flu distraction

The massive hoopla surrounding the swine flu outbreak has obscured news about other, deadlier diseases. For instance, yesterday we mentioned how an outbreak of dengue fever has killed more people in Latin America (excluding Mexico) this year than the H1N1 virus.

According to some health advocates, such a strong focus on the swine flu have caused officials to be distracted and pay less attention to other more pertinent health problems. "Malaria, drug-resistant tuberculosis — they are killing people every day," said Dr. Sam Zaramba, Uganda's chief medical officer in reaction to how much time and energy has been spent on the swine flu at this year's World Health Assembly (WHA). Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) issued a statement decrying the lack of sufficient discussion on Chagas disease- a tropical disease that affects millions yearly throughout Latin America. MSF officials were disappointed that the WHA practically ignored a malady which kills an estimated 15,000 people in Latin America per year:

“At the 100th anniversary of the discovery of Chagas we had expected that the WHA would adopt a resolution where all affected countries agree to integrate care of acute and chronic Chagas patients into their primary healthcare systems, and to invest more in research,” said Roger Teck, MSF director of operations. “People affected by this neglected disease are once again neglected. However, even though Chagas is now off the WHA agenda, this should not be used as an excuse for inaction. Governments of endemic countries should step up through developing and implementing better national and international protocols to fight Chagas.”

Image- Discover Magazine
Online Sources- The Latin Americanist, Reuters, AP