| | |  Health & Beauty | August 2009 
Mexico Hospitals Prepare for Return of Flu Season
 Notimex
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August 04, 2009
As the country prepares for a second H1N1 outbreak this fall, the State of Mexico (Edomex) is taking its own precautions.
State Health Secretary Franklin Libenson Violante said the state plans, among other things, to distribute more than 2.4 million seasonal influenza vaccines.
The official said at a press conference Sunday that the state spent 13.9 million pesos on a strategic reserve that includes 9,000 doses of medicine - and by the end of the year the federal government will have more than a million doses available plus 8.8 million surgical masks; more than 4 million packets of antibacterial gel; and 21,000 units of other types of gels.
Edomex's plan of action aims to quickly identify new cases of H1N1; to establish strategies of care and control; and to anticipate and assess health risks in the state, said Gabriel Cuevas O'Shea, vice secretary of Health and the general director of the Health Institute for the State of Mexico (ISEM).
He added the Laboratory of Molecular Biology has the ability to diagnose cases of the virus efficiently and effectively; to date, the laboratory has completed a total of 90 blood tests from patients suspected to be infected with the influenza, four of which were positive.
As for the seasonal influenza vaccine, to be administered in October, the secretary of Health said they should preferably be applied to risk groups such as children under five years, adults older than 60, HIV-positive people and transplant recipients, among other groups. By the end of the year, the federal government will have H1N1 vaccines that will principally be given to healthcare personnel, he said.
Libenson reported that from March 23 to July 29, 430 Edomex residents tested positive for the H1N1, 139 of which were treated in state clinics; 40 in Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) or the Institute of Insurance and Social Services for State Workers (ISSSTE) hospitals; and 251 cases were diagnosed in private institutions. Ten deaths have been confirmed. The state official added that hospitals will devote more space for those with the virus, coupled with some 16,000 specially trained health workers. |
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