The Colombian Government confirmed its first case of influenza A

The Government today confirmed the first positive case of influenza A in the country as a citizen who had recently returned from Mexico.

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The Government today confirmed the first positive case of influenza A in the country as a citizen who had recently returned from Mexico.

The case of Colombia this corresponds to one of the 18 samples of people with suspected symptoms under the National Health Institute (INS) sent seven days ago to the Centers for Disease Control and Disease Prevention (CDC, for its acronym in English) from Atlanta (United States).

The number of samples sent to CDC is more than the twelve who had been informed at the time by the Minister of Social Protection (health and work), Diego Palacio Betancourt, who on Saturday announced that his country was working in the quest for autonomy to diagnose the disease in laboratories in the country.

Palacio said in a meeting with the press in Bogota that "last night (Saturday) the Government was notified that one of these samples were positive for the virus AH1N1.

The other 17, said the officer, were recognized as "normal influenza," ie, seasonal influenza, which the country faces an epidemic at this time.

"The patient is in good condition," said Palacio Betancur, who insisted that the case is the first influenza A in Colombia and, therefore, in the country "many" have to "live with it (the virus)" .

The representative of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Pier Paolo Balladelli, said at the confirmation hearing that this should not alarm, as recognized in this country all measures were taken "preventative.

In the same vein received the Minister Palacio this case, who is the natural development of a health situation that in Colombia is expected to submit more cases.

The officer said that the country now has 108 suspected cases, nearly three times more than were reported last Friday and that there are 216 warnings.

These cases "are being dealt with epidemiological management," said Palacio, who indicated that his is "the number 18 in the presence of the disease and, surely, so will other countries."

"The patient is in good condition," said Betancourt, who appeared alongside the governor of Cundinamarca (the department which is also capital Bogotá), Andres Gonzalez, and Secretary of Health of this city, Hector Zambrano.

Gonzalez revealed that the patient has contracted the virus 42 years and hails from Zipaquira, a town less than 50 kilometers north of Bogota, where the man remained under surveillance.

"There is a situation, and we will deal with all the attention," said the governor, who in his region have all the drugs and to cope with a possible spread of the virus.

The minister reiterated that the Government Palace in advancing efforts to ensure that pharmaceutical companies can produce the medicine in the country recommended against this virus and is continuing on the acquisition of 1.65 million common and special mask to distribute among the population.

In this case, Colombia is the eighteenth country with confirmed presence of the virus. In Latin America, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are confirmed cases in Mexico (506) and Costa Rica (a).