PORTUGAL H1N1 UPDATE - OCT 7

UNCLAS LISBON 000528 SIPDIS HHS FOR CDC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: CASC AMED KFLU ETRD EAGR ECON EC PGOV PO SUBJECT: PORTUGAL H1N1 UPDATE - OCT 7 REF: LISBON 509 ¶1. Between September 21 and September 27 Portugal diagnosed 1,530 new cases with flu symptoms. The majority of the cases (83 percent) were in continental Portugal, 16 percent in the Azores, and 1 percent in Madeira. Twenty-one patients, including six in intensive care, remain hospitalized. To date, there have been two confirmed H1N1 fatalities. ¶2. The first fatality was a 41-year-old Portuguese male who had emigrated to France and had returned briefly to Portugal on vacation. He died from pneumonia and severe abdominal infection after complications from a 14-year-old kidney transplant. The second fatality was a 49-year-old male, a conservative Popular Party (CDS/PP) mayoral candidate, who died of pneumonia and multiple-organ failure. ¶3. As of September 22, three telecommunications networks, in partnership with Portuguese health officials, have been sending text messages advising people with flu symptoms to stay home, call the hotline, contact their physicians, reinforce hygiene measures, and avoid infecting others. ¶4. The school year began September 14 registering over 500 H1N1-infected students in 100 private and public primary and secondary schools, with the northern region of Portugal registering 328 cases. All of the schools have remained open. ¶5. The Health Ministry announced on October 2 that it will implement its H1N1 vaccination plan starting October 26. Health professionals, essential non-health professionals, and women in their second or third trimester of pregnancy with pre-existing health conditions will be vaccinated.