Mexico Ready reasonably to any H5N1 epidemic

Health - Wednesday, June 23 (16:20 hrs.)

They report that the virus is transmitted in stage three
The country has learned the lesson of how to deal with a threat of this magnitude: Alejandro Macias

The online Financial

Mexico, June 23 .- Mexico is reasonably prepared for an influenza pandemic H5N1 or another that came to be developed or presented in the world, as we have learned the lesson of how to deal with a threat of this magnitude, said Alejandro Macias.

In an exclusive interview, the special commissioner for the Care of the Health Sector Human Influenza stressed that "Mexico is undoubtedly one of the countries best prepared to receive a subsequent influenza epidemic."

He said the flu "has no word of honor" and although it is prepared the impact of an epidemic is important, as happened with the virus A (H1N1).

But he cautioned that if from the epidemic H5N1, also known as avian influenza, although it is a preparation in epidemiological surveillance of how to act and has reserves of medicines and equipment "will most likely have a major impact that the epidemic H1N1" .

The infectious disease specialist at the National Institute of Nutrition and Medical Sciences Salvador Zubirán "the SSA said the H5N1 virus, the initial cases occurred in 2005 in Asia, is very different and has no known history.

That's why, he said, that cases in the world, about 500, have been substantially more harmful pathogens and the H1N1 virus, so constant vigilance is maintained not only in Mexico but throughout the world, to act immediately and prevent it from becoming an epidemic.

Alejandro Macias explained that so far there have been cases in countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam and Egypt, and even have seen that with early treatment reduces mortality by 10 per cent, although the level of lethality of the virus is 50 percent , compared with less than one percent of the A (H1N1).

"It does not mean that tomorrow will start the epidemic, which has been indicated that the virus exists in the world and when combined with the current H1N1 virus can exit a result which is a virus that inherits the pathogenic potential of H5N1 and H1N1 its great potential on the transfer, "he said.

That would, he said, an epidemic that would be more serious of which was held in Mexico.

The specialist of the Ministry of Health (SSA) says the country has learned its lesson, and plan efficiently applied to deal with influenza, also went to report the value of time where the new virus to which act and alert the world.

Now, he insisted, "we are reasonably prepared because we have the diagnostic tools have been trained first-level services care and have adjusted intensive care services and work on having more and better beds in that area."

Also has antiviral medications in stock and intensive care. "All that we have, that is preparation for influenza. An additional part of the preparation is to have a vaccine available to mitigate the epidemic, if there was H5N1, but that still does not have anybody," he said.

What is not desirable nor feasible, he said, is that in case of an epidemic be contained in airports and terminals, because the flu has a range of events ranging from those with no discomfort to those who have all the symptoms , so it is difficult to detect.

"The influenza preparedness is not trying to stop things at the border or at airports, is in any case at borders and airports have health information and convenient as far as some level of detection," he said.

He reported that currently there are at airports and borders of Mexico some level of health screening for the H5N1 virus, because it is where we say that it is transmitted and sustained human to human, but it could be in a country of East, Africa or Asia, and will be there when you need to refine the plan preparation.

Hernández Macías added that to establish whether this constitutes an epidemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified six levels or stages, and the influenza H5N1 is found in the three, which means that the virus is pathogenic and has powers transmitted from animals to humans.

"This is not theoretical, there, there are already 500 reported cases of H5N1 transmission from animals to humans, in this case birds, but that should not cause undue alarm, it does not mean that it is transmitted efficiently from person to person as happened with the H1N1 "he said.

Abounded that "there is a sporadic transmission from animals to humans, not from human to human, and that is what most likely happen in the future, we do not know is when that's the difference."

WHO notes that when a transmission from human to human in a sustained manner is passed to stage four, and that seen in April 2009 in Mexico with the virus A (H1N1).

Finally he said that the risk of this epidemic of H5N1 is present, and Mexico is ready, although he acknowledged that if it were to affect millions of people no country has that level of preparation, because it would be almost impossible to handle that size.