Official new of the Ministry of Public Health

The Ministry of Public Health of Cuba informs that as part of the methods taken to face the risk that represents the pandemic of Influenza TO (H1N1) that already affects to 30 countries were activated all the mechanisms that during several years came organizing and training for the confrontation of a possible Pandemic of Influenza to Prepare.

All the methods of International Sanitary Control were reinforced in airports, ports and marinate, as well as a work of epidemic surveillance increased in all the units of health of the country and institutions of collective groups.

Inside the group of travelers returned of its vacations Mexican students of diverse States, which began to arrive to Cuba starting from April 25 belonging to one of the Abilities of Medicine of Jagüey Grande of the county Matanzas.

For the epidemic risk that constituted the entrance of people coming from Mexico and in the face of the probability of finding possible sick persons or infected, proceeded to the strict surveillance of the breathing symptoms among this students, being detected starting from April 26 two students with breathing symptoms, which were entered and isolated immediately.

The daily and systematic epidemic surveillance allowed to detect 14 Mexican students with catarrhal symptoms considered as light and that in its majority are of clinical discharge and in epidemic observation and of laboratory. All the students have been investigated and until the moment it has been a case confirmed to the virus of Influenza TO (H1N1), diagnosis carried out by the Institute of Tropical Medicine, center of Reference of the OPS/OMS in several Transferable Illnesses.It continues the rigorous epidemic study and the adoption of the corresponding measures of attention.

The epidemic clinical work and of surveillance of international sanitary control has allowed to study in the whole country, from the day April 27 and so far 84 people of 8 nationalities with epidemic clinical suspicion and other 511 people contacts of the notified cases, being all negatives, except for the Mexican student that was positive and it is the first case in that is proven the existence of the virus to (H1N1) in our country.

Are continued adopting all the necessary methods and it is had the resources, capacities and the personnel's preparation to make front of the international situation and its evolution.

Ministry of Public Health
May 11 2009