Warden Message: Argentina H1N1 Influenza (Swine Flu) Update

Consular Affairs Bulletins Report

U.S. Embassy Buenos Aires issued the following Warden Message on July 2:

This warden message is being issued to alert U.S. citizens residing and traveling in Argentina that the country's health ministry reported more than 1,500 confirmed cases of H1N1 Influenza, including 26 deaths, as of June 26, its last release of statistics.  Media reports place the number of deaths at 44 as of July 1, 2009, with higher numbers of confirmed cases as well.  Seventeen of Argentina's 24 districts have extended school vacations, some to as long as a month.  Two of Argentina’s largest districts, the Province of Buenos Aires and the city of Buenos Aires, have declared administrative health emergencies and are recommending avoiding large congregations of people. Other measures instituted to control the spread of H1N1 include a requirement that travelers entering Argentina complete health cards with local contact information, don provided surgical masks when disembarking their flights, and pass in front of sensors that track body temperature in transportation terminals.  Some flights also may be disinfected with spray prior to landing.

The U.S. Embassy will continue to monitor this situation and will issue updated messages as necessary.  Citizens -- especially persons at higher risk for flu complications -- are encouraged to consult the Department of State information on H1N1 Flu at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_4493.html, the United States Centers for Disease Control website at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/ or the World Health Organization website at http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html for information on how to avoid contracting the virus and how to treat it if infected.  More information on H1N1 flu in Argentina may be obtained from the Argentine Ministry of Health website at http://www.msal.gov.ar/htm/site/default.asp. 

U.S. citizens may also call the Office of Overseas Citizens Services in the U.S. for the latest travel information.  The Office of Overseas Citizens Services can be reached from 8:00 am – 8:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time, M-F, at 1-888-407-4747, or if calling from outside the U.S., at (202)-501-4444.  For any emergencies involving American citizens, please contact the American Citizens Services (ACS) Unit of the U.S. Embassy’s Consular Section, located at 4300 Avenida Colombia, 1425 Buenos Aires; telephone+54-11-5777-4354; after hours emergency telephone +54-11-5777-4873; ACS unit fax +54-11-5777-4293; e-mail BuenosAires-ACS@state.gov; web page http://argentina.usembassy.gov.

Americans living or traveling in Argentina are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department's travel registration website, https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui  so that they can obtain updated information on travel and security within Argentina.  Americans without internet access may register directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.