Ana Natalia Ayala died this Friday afternoon in the intensive care unit of the San Carlos de Bariloche Sanatorium after being infected with hantavirus, informed the technical secretary of the IV Sanitary Zone, the doctor Víctor Parodi. Lthe patient was 45 years old and was a teacher in the Hormiguitas kindergarten in this city. Parodi said that personnel from the Regional Environmental Health Unit (Uresa) is investigating to determine how the contagion occurred and where.
Parodi said that the IGM and PCR studies for hantavirus, which were done on the blood samples taken from the patient, They tested positive and confirmed the contagion. communicated that it was resolved to isolate Ayala’s close contacts as a preventive measure. The isolation will be extended for 40 days because the symptoms can manifest in people during that period.
Sources from the sanatorium commented to BLACK RIVER that the patient was admitted “very badly” on Wednesday and was immediately admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. They indicated that doctors interviewed a direct relative of the woman who reported that Ayala had not been collecting firewood or in sheds. Therefore, it is investigated where and when the contagion occurred.
Parodi explained that the result of the PCR study was sent to the Malbrán Institute to identify if it is the same variant that was detected some time ago in the Andean zone or if it is another subtype. The death of the teacher caused numerous expressions of pain in the community of this city.
The doctor recalled that Bariloche is part of the Andean zone of Río Negro, Neuquén and Chubut, which is considered a “an endemic area because cases can appear at any time of the year, although at some point there may be a more intense outbreak”. Rodents, known as long-tailed rodents, live in this vast area and are the natural reservoir of the virus.
In the town of Epuyen, in Chubut, there was an outbreak between December 2018 and early 2019, which caused 11 deaths. In 1996 in Bariloche and El Bolsón, another one originated that left several people dead.
Parodi admitted that, for the moment, “We do not have a specific place where the patient could have been infected”. She explained that you have to look for where the contagion occurred, from family and friends. It is reviewed up to 45 days prior to the manifestation of symptoms.
Parodi pointed out that although the hantavirus has a mortality rate that exceeds 50 percent, there are many cases that evolve favorably. He insisted that it is an endemic area, as is the case in other regions of the country that have other viruses.. The doctor asserted that it is the first death caused by hantavirus so far this year.
He explained that he isolated the people who had contact with the patient 48 hours before she manifested the symptoms. He reiterated that they must comply with 40 days of strict isolation because in that period the symptoms can manifest.
Preventive and mandatory isolation
Anyway, toHe clarified that until this Saturday morning no infected person had been reported among close contacts. He argued that if the person does not comply with the days of isolation from Public Health they will make the corresponding criminal complaint.
He said that a year before the pandemic caused by covid-19, blood samples from suspected cases of hantavirus were sent to be analyzed at the Malbrán Institute in Buenos Aires. The result took between 3 and 6 days.
Now, suspected cases are isolated and the samples are analyzed in the molecular biology laboratory that was incorporated some time ago by the Ramón Carrillo Hospital in Bariloche. “PCR determinations can be made for hantavirus or the IGM and have a diagnosis in 24 hours”, he valued.
He pointed out that in this case it was a previously healthy young patient, who was admitted to the sanatorium with symptoms of respiratory failure. For this reason, she immediately required respiratory mechanical assistance but evolved unfavorably.
Recommendations to prevent hantavirus
Avoid the presence of rodents in your home and their contact with food and water.
For that, take these precautions:
Frequently clean floors, tables, drawers and cupboards with 1 part bleach and 9 parts water. Let it act for 30 minutes.
Eliminate cardboard boxes, papers, firewood or disused items that can serve as shelter for rodents.
Keep trash in metal or heavy plastic containers with tight-fitting lids.
Put mosquito nets on doors and windows.
Seal holes with steel mesh, cement or resistant material.
Clean and disinfect the water tank every 6 months.
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