Archive for May 19th, 2009
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
A Cartago man and a 13 year old girl from Heredia are the first human-to-human transfer of the AH1N1 flu in Costa Rica, said yesterday the ministra de Salud, María Luisa Ávila.
Ávila explained that the virus is already circulating in the communities in Costa Rica, specifically in the family. “Autóctonos” is the word used by health officials to explain the cases of infection between Costa Ricans.
The earlier cases of the flu were all related, directly or indirectly, to contact with persons travelling from Mexico.
The ministra said that the man infected four others in his own family, while the Heredia girl was isolated when she began to show symptoms, but in any event infected another minor.
Ávila added that they are attempting to determine if a Guadalupe woman had come into contact with the Boston chorus who were in Costa Rica last month.
Since April 24, Costa Rican health officials have investigated 941 suspected cases, of which 9 were confirmed, 13 are still on the “probables” list, while the rest were discarded.
Health official records indicate that in 700 of the cases the results were negative, 76 had the regular flu, 28 did not meet the definition of a suspected case, one person dying.
Coronado Manuel Arévalo is the first and only recorded death from the AH1N1 flu. The 53 year old man had been hospitalized due to his pneumonia and diabetes,
Symptoms of the flu include a temperature of 38 Celsius, body and joing aches, runny nose, headache and cough.
The medical director of the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS), Rosa Climent, explained that the majority of confirmed cases in the country had mild symptoms.
Health authorities insist on hygiene measures, such as hand washing and sneezing protocol.
“One of the important points is that the human influenza virus has, so far, a low mortality,” said ministra Ávila.
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Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
Costa Rica has been affected by the global economic downturn, but it has not been as badly hit as many other countries and its prospects remain attractive.
The country still remains popular for second home property investors, particularly those from the US. These investors are attracted by the low cost of living and attractive property taxes.
The country has successfully branded itself as a premiere eco-tourism destination and the tourism sector is expected to continue growing.
The local construction industry has fallen victim to the financial crisis but continues to grow, albeit at a much slower rate. In 2007, the industry experienced an incredible 18 percent growth but that reduced to a still impressive 5 percent for 2008. A recent article in Nuwire Investor confirmed that ‘long term prospects for Costa Rica remain attractive. The government is stable and has instituted good health care and educational systems.
‘The country is has a wealth of natural resources, from beautiful beaches to pristine jungles and volcanic mountains, that attract a wide range of travellers.
More importantly, it knows how to take care of its environment.
‘Costa Rica was ranked 5th in the world by the Environmental Performance Index developed by Yale University and Columbia University. No doubt tourism and related developments will continue to boom. To avoid being a victim of its own success, Costa Rica will need to perfect the fine art of balancing development against preservation in order to protect its eco-friendly brand.’
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Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
Officials from the National Police and Public Security Ministry confiscated 70 unregistered firearms and four toy guns from private security forces last week. The seizures were part of a three-day sting last Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
The police visited 53 businesses that employed private security guards. Officials found illegal guns at 26 of the 53 businesses.
Costa Rica law mandates private security providers to register with the Public Security Ministry and have weapons registered. To not do so is “not only illegal, but unsafe,” said Patricia Meléndez, a spokeswoman for the Public Security Ministry.
Officials confiscated the artificial firearms because they also lacked registration permits.
“We had to be sure. We had no idea they were toys when we took them,” Meléndez said.
While the use of un-inscribed toy artillery is not illegal, Meléndez said it is just bad business.
“These are security companies and their job is to provide security. They should offer an honest service.”
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Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
The principal and only client of the recently created regulatory agency overseeing the opening of Costa Rica’s telecommunications market finally agreed to turn over the fees had collected to keep the agency afloat, bringing to an end a battle that threatened to close the regulator.
It wasn’t until the Comptroller General’s Office intervened Thursday on behalf of the Superintendent of Telecommunications (SUTEL) that the Costa Rican Electrical Institute (ICE), formerly a monopoly, reluctantly gave SUTEL the approximately $920,000 it was owed since January.
The turmoil has cast a shadow on the newly opened market, which still has only one provider to monitor ICE. Meanwhile, at least 24 companies are interested in stepping into the market, which was just opened to competition at the beginning of the year.
On Saturday, the daily La Nación reported that SUTEL recommended that three companies be given permits to operate in Costa Rica.
While many have called some of ICE’s actions obstructive and claim they are trying to block out competitors, SUTEL has delayed taking direct action. Interested companies have been waiting five months, and even the three companies SUTEL recommended for approval may not be able to actually enter the market for another year, La Nación reported.
This is a learning curve, said Lynda Solar, the executive director of the Costa Rican-American Chamber of Commerce. It’s like SUTEL is starting at, well, zero, really.
The chamber released a statement condemning ICE’s reluctance to pay SUTEL on Friday, and said the government needed to take quick action to resolve the issue.
This is how it goes in Costa Rica, Solar said. Literally, you wait until the shoe drops off the foot and then react. It’s always reactive here, never proactive.
SUTEL was created as a regulator of the telecommunications market in January. As part of the Central American Free Trade Agreement with the United States, Costa Rica was forced to open certain markets to competition one of those being Internet and cell phone services.
SUTEL went from being a small division within the Public Services Regulatory Agency to becoming a much bigger, autonomous agency facing the gigantic task of opening up the market.
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