flourbug
05-01-2009, 10:51 PM
Mexico's epidemiology boss faults WHO
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico's chief epidemiologist accused the World Health Organization of being slow to respond to the country's warning about a health crisis that turned into a global swine flu scare and called for an investigation.
Dr. Miguel Angel Lezana told The Associated Press late Thursday his center alerted the Pan American Health Organization on April 16 about alarming occurrences of flu and atypical pneumonia in Mexico. But no action was taken until eight days later when the World Health Organization said it was "very, very concerned" the outbreak could grow into a pandemic.
"It seems it should have been more immediate," Lezana, director of the National Epidemiology Center, told AP in a telephone interview.
A WHO spokesman said Friday the health body was not informed until April 24 that there was a new flu strain when it learned of the new virus from U.S. authorities. He said the the organization then responded rapidly.
Across the country's border, the number of confirmed swine flu cases in the United States rose to 130 Thursday. Hundreds of schools nationwide shut their doors. The only confirmed U.S. swine flu death so far was a Mexican toddler who succumbed in Texas. New cases were confirmed Thursday in Europe, but no deaths had been reported outside North America.
In Mexico, the outbreak's epicenter, new cases and the death rate were leveling off, the country's top medical officer said. Health authorities said they have confirmed 300 swine flu cases and 12 deaths due to the virus.
"The fact that we have a stabilization in the daily numbers, even a drop, makes us optimistic," Mexican Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova said. "Because what we'd expect is geometric or exponential growth. And that hasn't been the situation."
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090501/D97TCOO00.html
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico's chief epidemiologist accused the World Health Organization of being slow to respond to the country's warning about a health crisis that turned into a global swine flu scare and called for an investigation.
Dr. Miguel Angel Lezana told The Associated Press late Thursday his center alerted the Pan American Health Organization on April 16 about alarming occurrences of flu and atypical pneumonia in Mexico. But no action was taken until eight days later when the World Health Organization said it was "very, very concerned" the outbreak could grow into a pandemic.
"It seems it should have been more immediate," Lezana, director of the National Epidemiology Center, told AP in a telephone interview.
A WHO spokesman said Friday the health body was not informed until April 24 that there was a new flu strain when it learned of the new virus from U.S. authorities. He said the the organization then responded rapidly.
Across the country's border, the number of confirmed swine flu cases in the United States rose to 130 Thursday. Hundreds of schools nationwide shut their doors. The only confirmed U.S. swine flu death so far was a Mexican toddler who succumbed in Texas. New cases were confirmed Thursday in Europe, but no deaths had been reported outside North America.
In Mexico, the outbreak's epicenter, new cases and the death rate were leveling off, the country's top medical officer said. Health authorities said they have confirmed 300 swine flu cases and 12 deaths due to the virus.
"The fact that we have a stabilization in the daily numbers, even a drop, makes us optimistic," Mexican Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova said. "Because what we'd expect is geometric or exponential growth. And that hasn't been the situation."
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20090501/D97TCOO00.html