Chile Forum

LONDON — An ugly scramble is brewing over the swine flu vaccine — and when it becomes available, Britain, the United States and other nations could find that the contracts they signed with pharmaceutical companies are easily broken.

Experts warn that during a global epidemic, which the world is in now, governments may be under tremendous pressure to protect their own citizens first before allowing companies to ship doses of vaccine out of the country.

That does not bode well for many nations, including the United States, which makes only 20 percent of the regular flu vaccines it uses, or Britain, where all of its flu vaccines are produced abroad.

Warden Message
Santiago
July 17, 2009

This Warden Message alerts U.S. citizens to the latest information
regarding human cases of 2009-H1N1 Influenza, sometimes referred to as
swine flu or novel H1N1. The Chilean Ministry of Health (http://www.minsal.cl)
has reported 10,491 cases which have been confirmed by laboratory tests.
Local authorities have adopted a number of measures to address the
pandemic, such as hiring more personnel in public hospitals to handle
increased demand for medical consultations, procuring additional
equipment, and establishing procedures for distributing antiviral
treatments and tracking the spread of the disease. For more information,
please visit the following website: http://www.pandemia.cl.

The U.S. Department of State issued an H1N1 Influenza Travel Alert on
July 14, 2009 for U.S. citizens residing in or traveling to Argentina.
U.S. citizens traveling outside of Chile can access State Department
travel alerts on H1N1 Influenza and other concerns at the following
website: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_t ... _1766.html.

American citizens should be aware that the U.S. Embassy Santiago cannot
demand their immediate release if they have been detained or quarantined
in accordance with local public health and legal authorities.

Any questions or concerns about influenza or other illnesses should be
directed to a medical professional. Although the U.S. Embassy cannot
provide medical advice or provide medical services to the public, a list
of hospitals and doctors can be found on our website at:
under U.S. citizens & FAQ.

Please note that the U.S. Embassy in Santiago is NOT advising Americans
in Chile to depart. At this time, the Embassy advises that Americans
review the guidance provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
the World Health Organization, and make their own decisions about
whether to remain in Chile.

For more information on U.S. Government policy during a pandemic, and
for travel safety information, please see the State Department?s
?Pandemic/Avian Influenza? and ?Remain in Country? fact sheets on
<url removed> Further information about 2009-H1N1 Influenza,
including steps you can take to stay healthy, can be found at the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control website at.