Two people died this week in the province of Tucumán, in northwestern Argentina, as a result of severe pneumonia “of unknown origin” that intrigues the medical profession, health authorities said Wednesday.
Six people in total, caregivers and a patient from the same intensive care unit of a clinic in Tucumán, presented this pathology.
One died on Monday, another on Wednesday, three are hospitalized and a sixth, in satisfactory conditions, is in home isolation, reported the Ministry of Health of the province of Tucumán.
“Images very similar to Covid”
“These patients have a severe respiratory condition with bilateral pneumonia in common, and they present images very similar to Covid, but this is ruled out,” provincial minister Luis Medina Ruiz told reporters.
The cases “have already been tested for Covid, influenza, influenza A and B, hantavirus (infections transmitted by rodents) and 25 other germs”, all of which were negative, he said, it adds.
According to Luis Medina Ruiz, it may be an infectious agent, but toxic, environmental causes are not ruled out, analyzes are also carried out in particular in water, air conditioning systems.
In-depth analysis in progress
“The cases are related to five health workers and a patient in the intensive care unit of a private clinic in San Miguel de Tucumán, who began to present symptoms between August 18 and 22,” the National Ministry reported in a press release.
“Since August 22, no new case has been identified”, even among the close contacts of these patients, which the provincial minister described as “positive news”, assuring that the situation is “controlled”.
The samples were sent for further analysis to the national reference laboratory, the Malbran Institute in Buenos Aires, with results expected by the end of the week.
Source: BFM TV
