Monday, May 18, 2009

Swine flu spreads throughout LatAm

Though one more victim has been added to the swine flu death toll in Mexico, the country has gradually been returning to a reasonable level of normalcy. For instance, the U.S. removed its advisory against non-essential travel to Mexico (though the warning did have its advantages).

Nonetheless, the outbreak has continued to spread worldwide and may soon be officially classified as a pandemic. Aside from Mexico, eleven other Latin American countries have confirmed cases H1N1 and are on high alert:
  • Costa Rica: A 53-year-old Costa Rican died earlier this month after having been infected with the swine flu. Though the man suffered from diabetes and asthma, it appears as if the flu was the cause of death.
  • Chile: Chilean authorities claimed its first H1N1 case yesterday who recently returned home after vacationing in the Dominican Republic. "All the measures needed to contain the outbreak have been taken," assured the country’s health minister while the woman is slowly recuperating in hospital.
  • Ecuador: Ecuador also confirmed its first H1N1 case over the weekend in the form of a 12-year-old boy who returned from the U.S. over a week ago.
  • Peru: A second person in that Andean country has been diagnosed with the swine flu; both cases involved people who had recently been in the U.S.
Image- Al Jazeera English
Online Sources- AFP, NME, Bloomberg, Xinhua, Reuters, chron.com

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