2009 swine flu pandemic in Argentina

Main articles: 2009 flu pandemic and 2009 flu pandemic by country
2009 flu pandemic in Argentina
  Confirmed cases
  Deaths confirmed
  +1 cases
  +50 cases
  +10 cases
  +100 cases
  1+ death
  50+ deaths
  10+ deaths
  100+ deaths
DiseaseSwine influenza
Virus strainH1N1
First outbreakfrom Mexico DF
Arrival date29 June 2009
Confirmed cases12,010[1]
Deaths
626[1]
Total ILI cases1,479,988[1]
Government website
H1N1 at the Ministry of Health website

The influenza A virus subtype H1N1 (initially known as swine influenza virus or as new flu, and also locally known as gripe A, gripe porcina, and influenza porcina) arrived in Argentina in late April 2009, through air traffic contact with endemic areas, especially Mexico and the United States. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Argentine health authorities expressed their concern from the beginning of the outbreak, that the imminent arrival of the southern winter could cause "more serious" effects in the southern hemisphere than those caused in Mexico,[2][3] and could lead to a rebound of the epidemic around the world. The flu or influenza is mainly a seasonal disease that becomes most prevalent in winter.[4]

The first infection was confirmed on May 7 in a man who had come from Mexico City and had entered the country without symptoms on April 24. The second case was detected on May 22. Towards the end of May infection started in some schools in the northern community of the City of Buenos Aires and its suburbs, the main part of the country affected by the epidemic.

On June 15 the first death was announced: a three-month-old baby in the Greater Buenos Aires area.[5] In the second half of June, coinciding with the onset of winter, the virus was widely transmitted in Buenos Aires and spread to other parts of the country, especially the Province of Santa Fe, with its center in the city of Rosario.

On June 29, the Government decided to close schools throughout the month of July, a measure which affected 11 million students.[6] Pregnant women and other categories at risk were also dispensed from working. The measures taken by the authorities were primarily targeted to limit contagion during the winter months until the start of spring.[7]

The peak of infection lasted from the end of June until the beginning of July, increasing normal hospital demand fivefold and causing the collapse of the systems organizing hospital wards, home doctors and work place doctors.[8] The most affected area was Greater Buenos Aires, home to some 12 million people. It was estimated that up to 10% of the population of that region (approximately 1,200,000 people) could be affected by the pandemic of influenza A.[9]

In Argentina, seasonal flu outbreaks kill about 4,000 people each year, equivalent to a rate of 10 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants.[10] The contingency plan developed in 2006 to face a possible influenza pandemic estimated that the dead could reach 13,000 in the event of a moderate rate of infection (15%) and 30,000 in the event of a serious infection rate (35%).[11]

  1. ^ a b c Ministry of Health of the Nation (February 12, 2010). "INFLUENZA PANDÉMICA (H1N1) 2009. REPÚBLICA ARGENTINA" (PDF) (in Spanish). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 27, 2010. Retrieved February 17, 2010.
  2. ^ Clarín (April 30, 2009). "Gripe porcina: el Gobierno advierte que el invierno agravará la situación" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on May 3, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
  3. ^ El Economista (May 5, 2009). "OMS pide seguir atentos a gripe porcina y alerta de llegada a hemisferio sur" (in Spanish). Retrieved August 19, 2009.
  4. ^ "Weather and the Flu Season", NPR Day to Day, December 17, 2003.
  5. ^ "Un beba de tres meses es la primera víctima fatal de Gripe A en la Argentina" (in Spanish). June 15, 2009. Archived from the original on June 18, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
  6. ^ Clarín (July 2, 2009). "País en emergencia: suspenden las clases en todas las provincias" (in Spanish). Archived from the original on July 4, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
  7. ^ Cecchi, Horacio (July 1, 2009). "Sin clases para frenar la influenza A" (in Spanish). p. 12. Retrieved July 5, 2009.
  8. ^ "Colapsó el sistema médico a domicilio: los prestadores piden "racionalidad"". Clarín (in Spanish). June 9, 2009. Archived from the original on June 12, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2009.
  9. ^ Gallo, Daniel (June 24, 2009). "Máxima alerta sanitaria: Hay 335 pacientes hospitalizados. Fuerte aumento de muertes por gripe A". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved July 5, 2009.
  10. ^ "Cristina cruzó a Manzur por hablar de 100.000 infectados". Clarín (in Spanish). July 4, 2009. Archived from the original on July 7, 2009. Retrieved July 4, 2009.
  11. ^ Poder Ejecutivo Nacional (2009). "Plan de Contingencia Integrada para Pandemia de Influenza y SARS" (PDF). Ministerio de Salud (in Spanish). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 20, 2009. Retrieved August 19, 2009.