On Monday, March 6, the Ministry of Health of the Province of Santa Fe confirmed the death of a patient with hantavirus, having obtained confirmation from the National Administration of Laboratories and Health Institutions (ANLIS) “Dr. Carlos Malbrán”.
This is a 15-year-old teenager from Florence who started having symptoms on March 13 and died on February 15 when he was admitted to the Reconquista Hospital.
It must be known that at that time some media reported that it was due to Hantavirus, while others indicated that it could have been dengue, but only rumours, nothing confirmed, and everything has been investigated, until now. The case was officially announced on Monday.
Given the suspicion of the case, the territorial teams announced that they are stopping the activities and “to date have not registered any people with symptoms consistent with hantavirus”.
On February 24, ReconquistaHOY spoke with journalist Narciso Medina from FlorenciaHOY, who explained that the minor first went to the hospital in the city with his father, and from there he was transferred to Reconquista, where he lost his life hours later.
Moreover, another notice, by which it is stated that the minor lived with his family in the countryside of Florence to the north; and studied in the Eastern Secondary Education School (EESO) No. 267 “Lieutenant Daniel Jukic”, where he started in 2023. His teachers remember him as a well-educated, calm, quiet young man and a good student with good grades.
A journalist from Florence was able to talk to his uncles and, according to what he had told him, he was not aware of any pathology or health problem in his class. In fact, it was very strong and only the history of “sometimes strong rocks.”
“Like any other person. There is no terrible information in the medical history. He has no health problems, except for occasional colds at some time in his life,” Medina said, referring to the relative evidence.
In short, “he was a very healthy man.”
STATEMENT OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE HOSPITAL
On the afternoon of Monday, March 6, 2023, ReconquistaHOY discussed the case with Dr. Juan Carlos Zanuttini, director of the Reconquista Hospital.
He explained that, with the recently incorporated laboratory in the hospital, they were already able to diagnose hantavirus, but confirmation was required to report, in addition to the fact that ANLIS Malbrán allowed the full identification of the diagnosis. that virus
In the face of the political controversy that took place at the time, some accused the cover of the case and answered: “Sometimes people begin to express their opinion without knowing it. From the beginning it was said that “the proofs are positive”, but they could not be confirmed.
In this sense, the head of the Intensive Care Unit who was the first to associate her with Hantavirus is congratulated and the diagnosis was made.
Speaking specifically about the hantavirus, Zanuttini noted that this disease is new to the region, since it is usually more present in the southern province. “One of the few cases that occur,” said the doctor, explaining that not all of them develop in this way.
By way of prevention, he warned all possible places (especially the gastronomic shops) and avoided being closed for a long time. In situations like this, he advised opening windows and doors by first ventilating and then entering safely, since fecal matter from rodents could be in the air.
Another recommendation was the constant washing of hands, which he highlighted as necessary for all diseases.
Audio: Dr.
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ON HANTAVIRO
(It is official information from the Ministry of Health of the province).
It is a virus whose natural reservoir is rodents of different species, it is considered zoonosis and occurs in our territory in an endemic-epidemic way. Various clinical forms have been described ranging from a non-specific acute febrile syndrome to “Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome” (HPS) with high mortality.
The clinical picture is characterized by a short prodromal period (4 to 6 days on average) in which fever, muscle pain, malaise, headache and sometimes a gastroenteric picture with vomiting and diarrhea occur. In the most severe cases, the disease progresses rapidly to the cardiopulmonary phase, in which respiratory distress and severe hemodynamic disturbances occur. The chance of a fatal fate varies between 16% and 50% depending on the region of the country.
Laboratory accompanying thrombocytopenia, leukocytosis with atypical lymphocytes, increased hematocrit and elevated transaminases, and acute renal failure may also be found. It can be transmitted to humans;
– The air through inhalation or through direct contact with secretions of the virus from the saliva, urine and feces of rodents.
– Interhuman: this form of transmission is rare and only for some Andes Viris genotypes, it can occur within 48-72 hours of the onset of fever.
“There have been no reported cases of human-to-human transmission of genotypes in the province of Santa Fe,” said the provincial government.
