La Prensa is reporting 55 new cases in Guatemala in the last 24 hours, bringing the total to 208.  The only death so far is the one kid I referred to earlier, who it has no w been confirmed was already suffering from kidney disease.

This article says the national health ministry has 3,500 doses of Tamiflu ready, which at the rate they are using will be depleted in two weeks.It also says almost all the cases are in the capital or Esquintla.  Friends who have crossed the border at Tapachula (Mexico), recently tell me there are no procedures in place to check people for symptoms.  Leads one to wonder whether the efforts at the airport in the capital are just for show.

I have heard nothing more about the case here in Antigua, except that all the schools are closed.  The tourist population has swelled in the last two weeks, and I have seen only one person with a mask on; an Asian tourist.  You can buy the masks in the bodegona or the pharmacies, and they are well stocked (why shouldn’t they be, no one is wearing them).

There do seem to be a lot of people ‘under the weather’ here.  Cold/flu symptoms are not rare, and locals tell me it is not unusual for people to get sick this time of the year.  Our family is fine, except the parasite that has apparently taken up residence in the gut of a few of the kids, testing the limits of the plumbing…

Why did my ‘Guatemala’ RSS feed pickup a report from the Phillipines and not Guatemala City?  Who knows:

A 12-year-old boy has become Guatemala’s first fatality linked to swine flu, officials said, as the number of confirmed cases in the country rose by eight to 74.

Health Minister Celso Cerezo said late Wednesday the boy had been placed in a private hospital where a diagnosis showed he died from kidney failure, although it also confirmed he was stricken with A(H1N1), the virus threatening to spread to global pandemic status.

Update:  Maya Paradise has the details of the declaration of global pandemic by the WHO.

A local blogger (who has asked to remain anonymous) informed me last night that Antigua has its first case of H1N1 (Formerly Known as Swine Flu=FNASF).  Apparently a child from a private school on the north end of town was diagnosed as having H1N1/FNASF.

Interestingly, yours truly was on this very street just two weeks ago, caught in a mob of children just released from school.  At the time I was worried only about getting through the mob to my destination (with the aforementioned blogger).  As it turns out, perhaps I should have been wearing one of those full-body chemical suits.

Dear readers, don’t worry; as those of you who have had the opportunity to meet me in person already know, I am committed to maintaining my preventive daily vitamin & alcohol combination to prevent the onset of H1N1.

According to some sources, there are now 23 cases in the country.  I suspect that number is off by about 90%, for reasons I’ve explained before.  I expect full-on panic to grip this place shortly.  Anyone who dies and had a fever, cough or lethargy will likely be the cause of widespread rumors.  I’ll try to keep a running count of the of the blue masks I see around town.

Even more disturbing, Maid #3 arrived today  distraught and had a very serious conversation with my Wife about the dangers of the flu, and said that groups of medical professionals were going through the neighborhoods and vaccinating people.  She urged us to have the children vaccinated.

Of course, I’m not going to have my kids vaccinated.   Ask an epidemiologist about the mortality rates when introducing new vaccinations and compare that to the mortality rates of H1N1/FNASF and you’ll understand why.

No, I’m not linking to those studies for you because my head hurts, I’m experiencing chills and all I want to do is sleep.

From MayaParadise:

The Minister of Health, Celso Cerezo, has reported two more cases of influenza A (H1N1), bringing the total number of infected to 14.

You can read the entire report here.  This is the first real update I’ve seen in a few weeks, and what I really want to know is how many of the infected persons are female.  You will recall that when the first three cases were reported, all were female.

Now, men-haters, relax for a moment.  It’s not that I think that women are getting sick and men not because the former are the weaker sex, or because I hate/fear women, or because I have some need to oppress someone (I have my the Wife and children for that, after all), but because I’m pretty sure men are reluctant to go to the doctor and especially in the third world, are more likely to die of something than ever see a Doctor.  If your symptoms are remarkably similar to the normal seasonal flu, and you don’t have the money for a doctor, and you can’t afford to miss work anyway, why seek a diagnosis?  You work until you’re dead, and then they bury you and blame some standby cause, such as the Northern Imperialists.

Mark’s Prescription for health:  Wash your hands frequently, take lots of Vitamin C, avoid people who are coughing up bloody substances, or have the shakes, or are sweating profusely next to you in Church (they need an exorcism, not Tamiflu anyway), stop rubbing cheeks with everyone you meet, etc.  If you feel something coming on, gargle and swallow several shots of high-proof alcohol; nothing can survive that.