Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
Costa Rica’s National Emergency Commission (CNE) issued a yellow alert for several towns on the central Caribbean Tuesday because of heavy rainfall.
The commission declared the alert for the cantons of Talamanca, Limón, Matina, Siquirres, Guácimo and Pococí, all in the province of Limón, and Sarapiquí in the province of Heredia.
Figi Frado, a spokesman for the CNE, said the yellow alert the second of three precautionary warning levels is a preventative alert, meaning that residents should take precautionary measures against the threats of flooding and landslides. Frado urged drivers to be careful when traveling on route 32 between San José and Limón, and to watch river levels closely.
More than 350 millimeters (13.7 inches) of rain fell in the province of Limón between Saturday morning and Tuesday morning the average amount for the entire month of May, according to the National Meteorology Institute. Meteorologists forecasted an additional 50-100 mm (1.9 3.9 inches) of rain for Tuesday night.
Frado said residents do not need to evacuate, adding that CNE will monitor roads and rivers and let citizens know if and when they should leave their homes.
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Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
Costa Rican health authorities reported yesterday that they have currently detected 840 possible cases of the A/H1N1 flu, while 736 of the them have already been ruled out after lab tests.
The rest of 94 possible cases are still waiting for the results of the lab tests. Most of these cases are from the central region of the country.
The country’s number of confirmed cases now stands at eight, while authorities have reported one death.
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Wednesday, May 13th, 2009
Malaria and dengue fever cases registered in the beginning of this year were significantly fewer than those registered during the same time period in 2008, the Health Ministry announced Tuesday.
Through May 3 of this year, the number of registered cases of malaria dropped 65 percent when compared with the same time period in 2008, the ministry said. Dengue numbers dropped nearly as drastically, seeing a 46 percent reduction.
Heightened preventive measures in the more at-risk regions of the country were described by the ministry as the reason for the halving of cases in only a year. Actions taken have included informative campaigns in affected regions to increase awareness on how best to combat the diseases.
The country is now seeing the benefits of the increased education in the countryside, and especially among rural farmers and banana workers, the ministry said.
The most affected areas for malaria were in the region around Limón, where 58 of the 78 malaria cases were registered. More than half of the 1,103 cases of dengue fever, on the other hand, were reported in the Central Pacific region, the ministry found.
Both diseases are spread by mosquitoes, although while malaria tends to be focused in rural regions, dengue fever is just as prominent in urban centers as in the countryside. The use of mosquito nets is seen as a key way of preventing the spread of the disease.
Dengue fever results in a severe headache, muscle and joint pains, fever and a bright red rash. It usually lasts about a week, though some rare complications result in death.
Malaria is characterized by fever, chills and nausea, and can result in a coma and death.
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