Top 10 Costa Rica

Costa Rica allots $5 million to fight flu

Costa Rica has set aside $5 million to help stave off a possible pandemic of influenza A (H1N1), a situation the government declared as a national health emergency after identifying two potential cases of infection, officials said Wednesday.

The announcement of the emergency funds came as the World Health Organization (WHO) upped its alert level from Phase 4 to 5. (For a complete explanation of the WHO’s alert phases, click here )

In a weekly televised cabinet meeting Wednesday, President Oscar Arias said Costa Rica is examining 50 suspected cases, but he called for calm from citizens and urged them to keep faith in the country’s well-regarded medical institutions.

A country that is organized and possesses a health system such as Costa Rica’s will be able to (ensure) the epidemic doesn’t have consequences of extreme severity, he said.

Health Vice Minister Dr. Ana Morice confirmed the Health Ministry possesses 35,000 doses of antiviral medication, which can be used as the need arises.

The patients possibly infected with the so-called swine flu both of whom had traveled to Mexico before developing flu-like symptoms are awaiting confirmation of the nature of their illness from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The Costa Rican Nutrition and Health Research Institute, which is carrying out preliminary testing of suspected cases, lacks the primer needed to confirm whether patients are in fact infected with the type A (H1N1) virus. Dr. Morice said on Wednesday the Health Ministry is expecting to receive primer kits from the CDC by Friday to be able to better detect the disease in Costa Rica.

Health officials on Wednesday urged passengers on Mexicana Airlines flight 387, which arrived Friday from Mexico, and TACA Airlines flight LR 631, which arrived from Mexico Saturday, to report to the nearest hospital or other health center after it was learned that the two persons with partially confirmed flu cases had traveled on these flights.

Both possible flu cases a 21-year-old woman and a 28-year-old man are now stable and were instructed by health officials to isolate themselves by staying in their homes.

According to the WHO, nine countries have officially reported 148 cases of influenza A (H1N1).