Saturday, July 11, 2009

Argentina: Doctors of the World believe that the death toll is much higher

18:43

In a strong complaint, the owner of "Doctors of the World", Gonzalo Basile, warned today that it is "impossible" that Argentina has 82 fatal cases of influenza A, and that figure must be at least tripled.

"It would be such a fatality, but so low that it would be nonexistent," he said at a news conference. In this regard in the country noted that "there is a reliable information system and, in this scenario, it is easier to manipulate data."

The owner of the NGO said that "Argentina would be tripling the deaths given by the Ministry of Health, using the case-fatality rates internationally."

In the same vein, Basile noted that "in Argentina in 2008, we had 1,186,997 cases of influenza-like illnesses and 3,200 deaths from seasonal influenza." "There were 203,504 cases of pneumonia and 262,285 cases of bronchiolitis, which resulted in the death of 19,000 people for acute lower respiratory infections," he argued.

He added that "this means that respiratory diseases were serious last year. And a new virus that causes disease and death, the situation had worsened in 2008."

Javier Meritano, a member of the association, said that "one can speak of misinformation" because "the system is not prepared for a minimum overhead." The system of epidemiological surveillance in Argentina does not work, so the figures are not reliable "he said.

Basile, on the other hand, demanded the "repeal of the emergency decree in 2002 that health was not thought to strengthen public health or to meet the collective needs of the population's health. It was a tool to subsidize the private health sector" .

"We ask the national health emergency in which they work all the country's health sector on diseases affecting the population, including dengue fever and respiratory infections," ended.
hat-tip Shiloh

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