Thursday, April 30, 2009

Still No Confirmed Cases of Swine Flu in Juarez: More Test Results Due Today. Government Offices Will Close From May 1 to May 5

There are still no confirmed cases in Cd. Juarez of the new variety of swine flu. There are, however, 15 cases that are being tested, mainly adults from 20-35 who have flu-like symptoms. Should a case be confirmed, doctors will administer anti-viral medicine and isolate the patient in a quarantined area of a hospital. Health authorities are bracing for the worst, coordinating between hospitals so that, should one hospital fill to maximum capacity with swine flu patients, new patients will be sent to alternative hospitals with quarantined beds.

Yesterday the state secretary of health of Chihuahua announced that municipal, state and federal workers will not report to work between May 1 and May 5. Schools, libraries, universities, sports arenas, theaters, bars, and other public establishments are already closed until May 7.

Diario reports this morning they have found out that health officials have not closed operations of street vendors who sell food, since, they assert, the virus is not transmitted via food. This is true, but if a food worker is infected with the virus, and coughs on the food, the virus can be transmitted, so be careful with food sold by ambulantes (see photo).

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