VZCZCXYZ0012
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #0806/01 1892220
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 082220Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4046
INFO RUCNMER/MERCOSUR COLLECTIVE
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000806 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR OES/IHB - P. MURPHY AND D. WILUSZ 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: TBIO SOCI PGOV PREL AMED ELAB AR
 
SUBJECT: ARGENTINA: H1N1 EPICENTER OF THE WORLD 
 
REF: BUENOS AIRES 0778 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY:  A Mexican H1N1 expert believes that Argentina is now 
the epicenter of the worldwide H1N1 pandemic.  To aggressively 
counteract the disease's spread, a consortium of Argentine health 
experts and officials agree to standardize treatment with 
oseltamivir.  In preparation, hundreds of thousands of treatments 
have been ordered.  The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) donated 
120,000 treatments to Argentina this week.  Although the incidence 
of H1N1 appears to be declining in the capital city, it appears to 
be on the rise in the provinces.  Emergency declarations at 
different levels of government and their health effects are 
inconsistent, although the negative economic ripple-effect is felt 
countrywide.  The GOA is finally seen to be starting to catch up 
with the virus' spread and treatment, inviting Mission 
representatives to a briefing on its efforts on July 8  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
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Mexican H1N1 Expert Visits Argentina 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  Mexican infectious disease specialist Alejandro Macias, one of 
the coordinators of the Mexican H1N1 emergency committee, has 
characterized Argentina as the current center of the H1N1 pandemic. 
His visit to Argentina has two purposes: to collaborate with 
Argentine infectious disease colleagues and to learn about the 
virus' development here in order to prepare for next year's 
influenza season in Mexico.  He said the scenario in Argentina will 
provide insight to next winter's influenza season in the northern 
hemisphere. 
 
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National Treatment Regime Established 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  Newly appointed National Minister of Health Juan Luis Manzur, 
after a meeting of the Argentine Federal Health Council that groups 
health authorities from the 23 provinces and the City of Buenos 
Aires, announced a new treatment regime.  All patients older than 15 
with acute respiratory illness and a temperature of more than 38 
degrees centigrade will be administered the antiviral treatment 
oseltamivir.  The Minister opposes a blanket shutdown of public 
places to combat the H1N1 flu strain.  However, the Government of 
Argentina (GOA) has declared Friday, July 10, as a "sanitary" day 
off from work for federal employees.  Some provinces are complying 
with their own cancellations.  Coupled with Thursday's Independence 
Day holiday, this "sandwich day" would create a four-day weekend to 
further mitigate contagion.  In contrast, the City of Buenos Aires 
has declined to declare a similar holiday.  An informal poll of 
Embassies shows a mixed response, with some to remain open and some 
to close.  After consultations with the Ministries of Foreign 
Affairs and Health, the U.S. Embassy will remain open. 
 
---------------------------- 
Current Status of H1N1 Cases 
---------------------------- 
 
¶4.  The most recent official data refer to 2485 confirmed cases and 
70 deaths attributed to H1N1.  Press reports today indicate 79 H1N1 
deaths.  Minister Manzur said that 90% of current influenza cases 
are H1N1.  He infers from the limited figures currently available 
that an estimated 105,000 individuals have been infected with 
influenza this season so far, and estimates that 340,000 individuals 
will be infected by the end of the season.  He said the GOA has 
already distributed 300,000 oseltamivir treatments.  An additional 
120,000 from the U.S. National Strategic Stockpile provided by CDC 
under the auspices of Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) will 
arrive this week.  Another 500,000 treatments are expected from 
other sources shortly.  The Minister claims the existing stock and 
scheduled shipment of antiviral treatments is enough to cover demand 
but one report says the GOA is trying to renegotiate the date of 
delivery earlier than mid-August as originally planned.  The GOA 
currently controls virtually all oseltamivir in the country.  It has 
promised to make the drug available commercially in pharmacies but 
Marcelo Peretta, head of the Argentine Union of Pharmacies and 
Biochemists, said last week that the private sector had so far 
received only 24,000 treatments.  As of today, none were available 
in local pharmacies. 
 
----------------------- 
Local Health Facilities 
----------------------- 
 
¶5.  Visits to local hospital outpatient clinics in the Buenos Aires 
metropolitan region have declined this past week along with fewer 
pediatric cases in Intensive Care Units, and physicians are 
cautiously optimistic that this indicates a positive trend. 
However, this could also be a result of people afraid of going to 
hospitals for consultations and calling doctors for house visits or 
prescriptions.  Responding to the increased need for beds to treat 
influenza cases, hospitals have suspended elective surgeries.  As a 
precaution, they have asked high risk hospital workers such as 
pregnant women to stay at home.  The Children's Hospital has set up 
a separate outpatient facility for those suspected of having 
influenza, and a separate ward dedicated to flu cases.  A field 
hospital with two dozen beds has been set up, but to date has not 
been needed.  The outbreak appears to be stabilizing in the Buenos 
Aires metro area, but anecdotal reports suggest that it is picking 
up in other areas of the country.  Doctors agree that the great 
majority of cases are mild and can be treated as outpatients. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
Health Emergency Declaration Not Needed, But... 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶6.  The GOA has been criticized for its delay in declaring a 
national health emergency, something the previous Minister of 
Health, Graciela Ocana, had urged.  Current Minister of Health 
Manzur says the federal government does not need to declare an 
emergency because the administrative emergency that has been on the 
books since 2002 is sufficient to distribute necessary funds faster 
than normal.  Nonetheless, lawsuits have been filed against 
President Cristina Kirchner and Governor of Buenos Aires Daniel 
Scioli.  They have been accused of negligence for hiding 
information, providing false data on the number of infected 
citizens, and disregarding recommendations by international 
organizations such as the World Health Organization.  The plaintiff 
has requested that the Congress summon former Minister of Health 
Graciela Ocana to testify about rumors that despite several 
requests, the President declined to suspend public gatherings and 
the June 28 elections or to take additional preventative measures. 
The suit says the lack of action constitutes a criminal offense that 
caused unnecessary deaths. 
 
-------------------------------- 
Economic Effects of Declarations 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  Mitigation measures are starting to affect the economy. 
Tourism hot spots such as Iguazu Falls, which typically receive 
substantial income during the austral winter holidays, are seeing 
declines of up to 70 percent in reservations compared to the 
previous year.  Theatre Association members decided to close for ten 
days.  Cinemas will remain open, but are experiencing a 33% drop in 
attendance during a period when they usually do their best business. 
 
 
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Comment 
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¶8.  Health authorities are taking aggressive measures against the 
spread of H1N1, but the lack of overall coordination of efforts on 
local, provincial and national levels is resulting in mixed, 
occasionally contradictory messages that are causing confusion.  The 
meeting held by the Argentine Federal Health Council earlier this 
week which standardized influenza treatment countrywide and a 
comprehensive briefing today for Embassy officials by the Ministry 
of Health are positive indications that the GOA may be turning the 
corner in its efforts to provide a coordinated response to the H1N1 
outbreak here." 
 
KELLY