According to the Ministry of Health in Tucuman – a small region in the northwest of the country about 800 miles from the capital, Buenos Aires – nine people in the same private clinic unit have contracted mysterious pneumonia. Authorities are concerned about the deadly outbreak because the usual suspects — including Covid, flu and hantavirus — have been ruled out. Five of the six affected, and two of those who have died so far, are also health care workers, suggesting that an infectious agent may be involved. “What these patients have in common is a severe respiratory condition with bilateral pneumonia and compromise in [x-ray] images very similar to Covid, but that is ruled out,” Luis Medina Ruiz, Tucuman’s health minister, said on Wednesday, according to local media. He added that the six patients underwent a series of tests for “Covid, colds, flu both types A+ and B+, Hantavirus and 25 other germs”, but no virus has yet been identified. The samples have been sent to the prestigious Malbran Institute in Buenos Aires for further analysis. The contacts of the first patients are being monitored and the health center has been isolated. The first six patients developed symptoms between August 18 and 22. On Thursday, health authorities said three more people had been infected, but did not say when their symptoms appeared.
“This shows our susceptibility to pathogens”
Experts also analyze the water and air conditioning units to determine if the cause is toxic or environmental—for example, if legionella bacteria may have built up in the air conditioning ductwork. Although the cases are reminiscent of the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, when authorities were struggling to determine the cause of an unexplained pneumonia in Wuhan, health experts have warned that more information is needed “before alarm bells ring”. The European Center for Disease Control’s outbreak intelligence team has been monitoring the total number of cases since Tuesday. The World Health Organization is also aware of the cases. “It’s obviously a concern, but we still need basic information about the transmission and we’re hopeful [on the] underlying cause,” said Professor Devi Sridhar, chair of global health at the University of Edinburgh and author of Preventive. “This shows our collective vulnerability to dangerous pathogens. An outbreak in any part of the world – if not contained quickly – can spread quickly, given air travel and trade.”
title: “Mysterious Pneumonia Kills Three And Infects Nine In Argentina Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-09” author: “Delbert Long”
According to the Ministry of Health in Tucuman – a small region in the northwest of the country about 800 miles from the capital, Buenos Aires – nine people in the same private clinic unit have contracted mysterious pneumonia. Authorities are concerned about the deadly outbreak because the usual suspects — including Covid, flu and hantavirus — have been ruled out. Five of the six affected, and two of those who have died so far, are also health care workers, suggesting that an infectious agent may be involved. “What these patients have in common is a severe respiratory condition with bilateral pneumonia and compromise in [x-ray] images very similar to Covid, but that is ruled out,” Luis Medina Ruiz, Tucuman’s health minister, said on Wednesday, according to local media. He added that the six patients underwent a series of tests for “Covid, colds, flu both types A+ and B+, Hantavirus and 25 other germs”, but no virus has yet been identified. The samples have been sent to the prestigious Malbran Institute in Buenos Aires for further analysis. The contacts of the first patients are being monitored and the health center has been isolated. The first six patients developed symptoms between August 18 and 22. On Thursday, health authorities said three more people had been infected, but did not say when their symptoms appeared.
“This shows our susceptibility to pathogens”
Experts also analyze the water and air conditioning units to determine if the cause is toxic or environmental—for example, if legionella bacteria may have built up in the air conditioning ductwork. Although the cases are reminiscent of the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, when authorities were struggling to determine the cause of an unexplained pneumonia in Wuhan, health experts have warned that more information is needed “before alarm bells ring”. The European Center for Disease Control’s outbreak intelligence team has been monitoring the total number of cases since Tuesday. The World Health Organization is also aware of the cases. “It’s obviously a concern, but we still need basic information about the transmission and we’re hopeful [on the] underlying cause,” said Professor Devi Sridhar, chair of global health at the University of Edinburgh and author of Preventive. “This shows our collective vulnerability to dangerous pathogens. An outbreak in any part of the world – if not contained quickly – can spread quickly, given air travel and trade.”
