TFFLU01: CHILE CONFIRMS FOUR H1N1 CASES; GOC MAINTAIN

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 000470 STATE FOR WHA/BSC, WHA/EPSC AND OES/IHB STATE FOR MED SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AMGT AMED CASC TBIO KFLU KSAF KSEAO KPAO KSTH ECON EAGR, CI SUBJECT: TFFLU01: CHILE CONFIRMS FOUR H1N1 CASES; GOC MAINTAIN SCREENING/CONTAINMENT PROTOCOLS REFS: (A) Santiago 411; (B) Santiago 402 ¶1. According to Chilean press reports and the Ministry of Health's website (www.minsal.cl),as of May 18, Chile has four confirmed cases of H1N1 influenza. THREE CASES ON SAME VACATION TOUR, FLIGHT -------------- ¶2. Three of the cases are women who arrived in Santiago on COPA flight 437, from Panama, the morning of May 16 after vacationing in the Dominican Republic resort of Punta Cana. ¶3. The first of these cases was detected by officials at Santiago's international airport, following the procedure outlined in reftels. The 32-year old infected woman was transferred to Santiago's Hospital del Torax. The second case, a 25-year old woman, was diagnosed hours later, when she went to a local clinic/private hospital. The Ministry of Health announced the discovery of a third case on May 18. All three women remain hospitalized, are reportedly in good health, and are receiving anti-viral treatment. OTHER PASSENGERS BEING CONTACTED, RECEIVING ANTI-VIRALS -------------- -------------- ¶4. Officials from Chile's Minister of Health informed the public of the three cases reported above, as well as the following: of the other 101 passengers, all but four have been contacted, and several of them have been hospitalized for observation and testing; and the 6 crew members have returned to Panama. According to health officials, all passengers will receive antiviral treatment for 7 days as a preventive measure and symptomatic patients will be referred to health centers. Passengers who are asymptomatic have been asked to voluntary confine themselves to their homes for 48 hours. The Ministry of Health is publicly requesting that the remaining passengers call 600-360-7777. ONE CHILD CASE, CLASSES SUSPENDED AS A PRECAUTION -------------- -------------- ¶5. Chile's fourth case is a six-year old child, who is in treatment at home and in good condition, according to Dr. Claudia Gonzalez, chief of epidemiology at the Ministry of Health. Dr. Gonzalez informed the press that health authorities are still investigating where the child became infected. "One of the containment actions in this case, is to close the child's school for seven days... to assess the situation and implement measures to prevent an epidemiological situation," she added. ¶6. The child's school, located in Santiago's Las Condes district, announced that it suspended classes at the request of the Ministry of Health as a "precautionary measure." Authorities have publicly denied that disease patterns are present in this "community," emphasizing that cases are "imported." Dr. Gonzalez stated "There is no evidence of transmission from person-to-person in the country." GOC REMAINS VIGILANT, INTERNATIONAL AUTHORITIES INFORMED -------------- -------------- ¶7. The Ministry of Health called on people to remain calm, indicating it will continue to take all the steps necessary to detect and contain any outbreak. To date, the Chilean health officials have examined more than 170 suspected H1N1 influenza cases. Chilean authorities have contacted the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO),and informed health authorities in PANAMA and the Dominican Republic of the H1N1 cases. SIMONS