COLOMBIA’S PRESIDENT HAS SWINE FLU
AZG DAILY
01-09-2009
International
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has the swine flu and officials have
advised other South American leaders who met with him at a summit of
the infection, authorities said Sunday.
The 57-year-old Uribe began feeling symptoms Friday, the same day
as a meeting of South American presidents in Bariloche, Argentina,
and he was confirmed to have swine flu after returning home, Social
Protection Minister Diego Palacio said.
"This isn’t something that has us scared," Palacio said at a news
conference. Uribe, a key U.S. ally in Latin America, is not considered
a high-risk patient and will continue working from his computer,
officials said.
Public health director Gilberto Alvarez said in a telephone interview
that there was no need to put the president in isolation and that
his condition would monitored for three days to a week.
During a Union of South American Nations summit of the region’s
presidents Friday, Uribe spent hours defending his plan to give
U.S. troops more access to Colombian bases as part of his government’s
fight against drug traffickers and leftist rebels. Many of his
colleagues have voiced concerns about the idea.
Palacio said Colombia’s foreign ministry was informing governments
whose leaders may have come in contact with Uribe.
No governments immediately commented on Colombia’s announcement or
reported that officials were sick.
Dr. Alberto Cortez, an infectious disease specialist at Colombia’s
Universidad Nacional, said it is possible the disease could have been
passed on to other leaders at the summit. But he added it needs to
be established when Uribe became sick to determine whether he picked
up the virus in Argentina – where there are many cases – or if he
arrived there with the disease.
The presidential office released a brief statement saying Colombia’s
National Health Institute confirmed that Uribe had swine flu. It said
his case was "developing sat ational Health Institute director, Juan
Gonzalo Lopez, said Uribe’s case was confirmed on Sunday and that he
had complained of body pains and general discomfort.
Local media said the president appeared congested and was sneezing
during a meeting with regional officials Saturday.
Uribe is the second Latin American leader to come down with the
swine flu.
On Aug. 11, Costa Rican President Oscar Arias announced he had swine
flu and was being quarantined at his home. The 69-year-old leader,
who won the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in ending Central
America’s civil wars, has recovered.
Cesar Mauricio Velasquez, spokesman for Uribe, said Uribe planned to
handle his duties while recovering.
"The president will continue doing his work by computer," Velasquez
said in a phone interview.
Colombia has reported 621 confirmed cases of swine flu, including
Uribe’s. There have been 34 deaths from the illness, the government
says, according to Associated Press.