Chile Forum

by **admin** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 3:13 pm

Another important bit.

The Chilean government is covering the cost of the medication and the test. Free Tamiflue for everyone!!! :lol:

They are spending 15 million US. They are estimating that each patient, with test and medication is costing 77,000 pesos each. The drug is normally about 45,000 pesos for a course.

So, if you think you might have the symptoms above, don't be a cheap skate. GO TO THE DOCTOR!!!

by **RuneTheChookcha** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 3:50 pm

Ja-ja-ja, never!.. :alien:

by **BigBen** » Sun Jun 14, 2009 6:28 pm

Does the flu appear to be concentrated near Santiago (even given it's large percentage of population) or is there a goodly number of cases in the more southern regions?

by **admin** » Mon Jun 15, 2009 4:29 am

1/2 of Chile's population lives in the central regions, so statistically it has to be concentrated there. Just overall, it is all over. It would be impossible to pick and choose locations. Obviously, less people less flue. Try the Patagonia. I have not heard of any cases being reported South of PM yet, although I am sure there are some. If your next neighbor is a 2 day horseback ride away, doubt they are too worried about catching anything.

by **eeuunikkeiexpat** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 9:14 pm

Mutation confirmed and we are only in mid-June.

by **admin** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 9:52 pm

Well the latest crisis on the morning news is not the flu directly, but the hypochondriac tendencies of Chilean culture causing a collapse of the health system in Santiago as everyone with the sniffles goes to get tested at the same time. There was discussion of activating the military emergency response units to setup tents and clinic stations around Santiago to help handle the influx of patients getting tested. The government doctors where saying this morning that the flu is likly spreading most efficiently by all the people standing around the waiting rooms. Only like 1% or less are really infected or have been exposed when they walk through the door, not so by the time they walk out.

Glad my doctor does house calls, and we also have a mobile lab that comes to the house to do things like take blood test and such. I discovered a couple years ago that I could have everything done at home, and it only cost me like 5,000 pesos more with my health insurance covering the rest of the visit. When I don't feel well, I really do not want to be running around to doctors offices for hours.

by **GJJIM** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 1:23 pm

Here is an interesting notice published yesterday concerning a "novel" (ie. mutated) H1N1 strain that has popped up in the U.S. in the state of Utah. Very unusual given the season and the fact that Utah has a low population density. This new H1N1 strain apparently is more serious than the original:

http://health.utah.gov/epi/h1n1flu/sitrep062409.pdf

"CDC is now estimating that the novel H1N1 virus will be “Category 2”
in severity. They are closely watching the situation in the Southern
Hemisphere for validation of this estimate.
A category 2 pandemic has the following characteristics:
• Case fatality ratio of 0.1 percent to less than 0.5 percent.
• Between 90,000 and 450,000 deaths in the U.S.
(compared with estimated 36,000 deaths during a typical
influenza season).
• Excess death rate of between 30 to less than 150 per
100,000 people.
• Illness rate of between 20 and 40 percent.
• Similar to 1957 pandemic."

Any evidence of this down in the South?

by **admin** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 1:50 pm

Well, let me see if my pathetic math is correct (dam it Jim, I am Philosopher not a ...). With a Chilean population of 15 million, that would be about 7,500 to 15,000 dead in Chile.

Yea, I think we would notice something like that.

by **RuneTheChookcha** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 2:04 pm

by **Laura55llc** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 2:08 pm

It strikes me that you really don't see the H1N1 as front page news. But it seems to spreading rapidly.

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina is reinforcing overwhelmed hospitals as H1N1 deaths rise and flu cases swamp emergency rooms in and around the capital during the southern hemisphere winter.

Argentina has confirmed 21 deaths from the new strain of virus, also known as swine flu, putting the South American country third after Mexico and the United States in the number of fatal cases. The Health Ministry has confirmed 1,391 cases.

Brazil's health minister advised citizens to delay travel to Argentina and neighboring Chile in a move that drew criticism from Chilean President Michelle Bachelet.

In Chile, where seven people with H1N1 have died and 5,186 cases are confirmed, the government ordered public hospitals and clinics to attend to respiratory ailments and reschedule all nonemergency appointments.

Emergency room visits in Chile for respiratory ailments have tripled and are straining capacity, said Julio Montt, deputy secretary at the Health Ministry.

Waiting lines are seven hours in public hospitals and up to four hours in private clinics.

Late June and July are the peak of flu season in Argentina and Chile every year, with respiratory illnesses clogging up hospitals and clinics.

Note that Argentina has only 1391 cases but 21 have died, Chile has 5186 cases but only 7 deaths.

The CDC has an interesting map for the US

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/

And WHO for greater comparisons.

http://ais.paho.org/flu/sm/en/atlas.html

The media is mostly quiet...too quiet.

by **admin** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 6:52 pm

yea, my advice would be stay away from any country that is sticking its collective government head in the sand (or other places). Argentina and Brazil are two of the countries that statistically are not adding up.

Either:

A) Argentina reacted too late and thus they have more deaths from lack initial action to control it.
B) They are still not doing anything, and the stats are a lie.

Based on the history of the government of Argentina's ability to publish essentially lies to the public about statistics, I would go with B. In which case, A is the result. I just need to site the recent cases of corruption in the economic statistics over the last 20 years. Do your really think they are going to produce real numbers when it comes to something as politically loaded as H1N1 for a rocky economy?

Brazil is in a similar situation. Their population is too large to do anything, so I have a bit more sympathy for their situation. There are a lot of countries, for a lot of reasons, that simply can not do anything for lack of resources.

by **eeuunikkeiexpat** » Thu Jun 25, 2009 7:28 pm

Brazil was the first country to publicly confirm (nearly two weeks ago I believe) the first mutation of the virus.

Chile Forum

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Who is online

Need Help In Chile?

Phone From Outside Chile: 1-917-470-9653 ( USA to Chile)
In Chile Land Line: (56) 65 421 024
Cell Phone 747 97974 (From a Cell Phone in Chile dial with no other numbers)

Chile Forum

Who is online

Need Help In Chile?

Phone From Outside Chile: 1-917-470-9653 ( USA to Chile) In Chile Land Line: (56) 65 421 024 Cell Phone 747 97974 (From a Cell Phone in Chile dial with no other numbers)

Phone From Outside Chile: 1-917-470-9653 ( USA to Chile)
In Chile Land Line: (56) 65 421 024
Cell Phone 747 97974 (From a Cell Phone in Chile dial with no other numbers)