Friday, May 8th, 2009
The Ministerio de Salud has confirmed that Costa Rica has seven confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus, after receiving results of eight samples sent to the the Centers For Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta. Only one case was discarted by US health officials.
Almost two weeks after the first case of the virus appeared in Costa Rica, health officials have investigated 645 “suspected” cases, most of which were discarded and eight “probables”, samples that were sent to the CDC for confirmation.
The test results took more than a week to get back to the ministerio de Salud, as Costa Rica had yet to receive the kit for testing locally and must rely on the CDC for a confirmed result.
According to the ministra de Salud, María Luisa Ávila, the confirmed cases involve minors and adults, but would not give more details, other than some are already coming out isolation, well on the road to recovery. (more…)
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Friday, May 8th, 2009
“The investigations of a national sea turtle conservation group has helped lead to a U.S. embargo on all Costa Rican shrimp.
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Oceans, Environment and Science announced it has stopped importing Costa Rican shrimp, effective May 1.
The Marine Turtle Restoration Program (PRETOMA) spent a year investigating the practices of Costa Rica’s shrimp fishermen and determined that boats and nets lacked effective Turtle Excluder Devices (TED) – devices that keep turtles and other large marine life from being trapped in shrimp nets. PRETOMA submitted its findings to the State Department, which imposed the embargo.”
Costa Rican law requires all nets to have the devices but PRETOMA spokesman Andy Bystrom said the Costa Rican Fisheries Institute (INCOPESCA) does not enforce the policy.
“It’s the 64,000 dollar question,” Bystrom said of INCOPESCA’s lack of enforcement. “Their institution is set up to do one thing – adhere to legal fishing policies – but they aren’t doing it.”
From 2004 through 2008, the fisheries authorities recorded 29 TED violations, all of which went unpunished.
Bystrom said the U.S. law requires shrimp fisherman to use TED devices, and the United States refuses to do business with countries that do not enforce the policy.
The embargo will last until May 1, 2010 when officials from the U.S. State Department will reevaluate the situation of TEDs on Costa Rica’s shrimp boats to determine if the embargo can be lifted.
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