News of health

‘Growing public health problem’ – Syphilis infections hit three-decade high

07-11-2024 16:11 Health Ministry data shows cases have risen from just over 12,000 in 2021 to more than 32,000 in 2023 – the highest recorded tally in three decades.

POLLS & SURVEYS

Chile overwhelmingly scorns immigration, poll shows

31-10-2024 10:43 Chileans are demanding stricter immigration controls much more than neighbours in other Latin American nations, according to a new poll, as an influx of newcomers upends politics in one of the region’s richest economies.

OBITUARY

Former Health minister Ginés González García dies aged 79

18-10-2024 14:41 Veteran politician and physician Ginés González García, whose lengthy career in public service ended in disgrace during the coronavirus pandemic, dies at the age of 79.

HEALTHCARE & ECONOMY

Workers launch vigil to save mental health hospital from cutbacks

08-10-2024 17:31 President Javier Milei’s chainsaw hits Bonaparte Hospital in Parque Patricios; Workers stage vigil against alleged “closure” of hospital as Health Ministry states “restructuring process” has begun.

HEALTH & ECONOMY

New health minister fires management of top children’s hospital

03-10-2024 16:27 Newly appointed Health Minister Mario Lugones fires board of Garrahan Children’s Hospital for awarding 500,000-peso bonus; Decision “does not match the national government’s wage guidelines.”

POLITICS

Lugones to head Health Ministry after Russo steps down

27-09-2024 13:40 After learning about the official’s exit, the government quickly appointed his successor.

MPOX VIRUS FEARS

Health authorities in Argentina order quarantine ship over mpox virus fears

21-08-2024 12:20 Crew-member of vessel flying Liberian flag reported to have symptoms compatible with the mpox disease; In accordance with protocol, ship has been quarantined at Santa Fe Province port of San Lorenzo.

World Organisation for Animal Health

Argentine veterinarian looks to conquer French multilateral bastion

18-04-2024 00:23 Luis Barcos, the Argentine candidate to be the next director-general of the World Organisation for Animal Health, is looking to become the first non-French person to lead the ex-Office International des Epizooties.

HEALTH & ECONOMY

Government intervenes to halt private health scheme price surge

17-04-2024 17:21 Free-market Milei administration uses state power to challenge firms and announces most prepaid health schemes are rolling back runaway price increases; "The Argentina of wise guys is over," declares presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni.

HEALTH & ECONOMY

Argentina is running out of bug spray amid record dengue surge

10-04-2024 10:08 Bug spray is out of stock as Argentina confronts its worst-ever outbreak of dengue, a mosquito-borne illness that’s surged across Latin America amid high heat and heavy rains.

HEALTHCARE & ECONOMY

Private health firms: Caputo complains of 'war on middle class'

09-04-2024 16:19 Economy Minister Luis Caputo accuses ‘pre-pagas’ of declaring war on customers as government sources say investigation into price-fixing claims is underway; Firms seek urgent meeting with officials.

HEALTH & SOCIETY

Desperate to dodge dengue, citizens struggle to find mosquito repellent

07-04-2024 09:34 Argentina is one of the worst hit by the outbreak of dengue sweeping the region – but those in and around Buenos Aires are struggling to find mosquito repellent.

HEALTH

Latin America, Caribbean set for record dengue season

29-03-2024 09:00 Across Latin America and the Caribbean, regional health authorities have already tallied more than 3.5 million cases and a thousand deaths due to the dengue virus.

HEALTH & SOCIETY

Government rules out free dengue vaccine despite record deaths

18-03-2024 16:56 Presidential Spokesperson Maneul Adorni says there is no plan to make Dengue vaccine free and compulsory to citizens despite a record number of deaths this year.

HEALTH & SOCIETY

Dengue fever cases in Argentina up 2,153% so far in 2024

07-03-2024 15:30 Data from Health Ministry shows worrying explosion of Denge fever cases, rising to more than 57,000 from 2,500 in the same period last year.

Abortion rights

Abortion protection in French Constitution is 'message of hope' for other nations

05-03-2024 12:41 France's new "guaranteed freedom" to have an abortion may transcend borders and "give a boost to the recognition of this fundamental right" in the world, experts and activists argue.

Abortion rights

France enshrines abortion as constitutional right in world first

04-03-2024 16:39 Lawmakers in Versailles vote to anchor the right to abortion in the constitution, making France the first country in the world to enshrine explicit protection for terminating a pregnancy in basic law.

COST OF CRISIS

Food or medicine? Stark choice for the sick

04-03-2024 07:04 At pharmacies across Argentina, people are checking the price of medicines and opting not to purchase – even when it comes to antibiotics. As the economic crisis bites, healthcare has become a luxury some can’t afford.

POLITICS

Milei U-turns on Health Ministry and names Florencia Mizrahi to head AFIP

09-12-2023 19:35 Mario Russo appointed Health minister, reversing previous declarations that portfolio would be downgraded; Florencia Mizrahi to lead AFIP tax agency in Javier Milei's new government.

Election 2023

Milei, telepathic conversations with dogs and mental health

02-09-2023 06:17 Beyond allegedly having telepathic conversation with living and dead animals, God and historical economists, Milei has an extremely short fuse, quickly escalating into a level of rage that is uncommon in someone expected to lead in times of crisis.

by Agustino Fontevecchia

HEALTHCARE & SOCIETY

Briana: six-year-old’s tragic death highlights inequality in Argentina

22-07-2023 06:59 Child mortality is an ongoing tragedy in Argentina’s indigenous communities. The recent death of six-year-old Briana, a member of Salta’s Wichi community, in a hospital waiting-room last March highlights the precarious conditions facing residents in the north of the country and the failure of successive governments to protect the rights of all citizens.

by Sabrina Chemen

HEALTHCARE

In vaccination champ Brazil, many have stopped getting shots

11-07-2023 15:25 Two years after Brazil began emerging from its pandemic horror show thanks to a massive immunisation campaign, officials face a paradoxical predicament: vaccination rates have plunged, and not just for Covid-19, leaving millions exposed to once-eradicated diseases.

CHILE HEALTH

Chile government says private health insurers owe US$1.4 billion in overcharges

11-05-2023 15:04 Chile’s government confirmed that private health insurance companies will have to pay about US$1.4 billion to abide by a 2022 Supreme Court ruling, confirming the worst-case scenario for an industry near collapse.

VENEZUELA HEALTH

Vaccine battle against HPV thwarted by cost, stigma in Venezuela

09-05-2023 16:25 Although their government promised years ago to include the HPV vaccine in its free inoculation schedule, Venezuela remains one of the few Latin American countries not to have done so.

Global pandemic

WHO: Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency

05-05-2023 15:26 Covid-19 pandemic no longer constitutes a global health emergency, but the danger is not over, declares World Health Organization.

HEALTH

One suicide every three hours in Argentina, Health Ministry reveals

04-05-2023 13:57 Figure emerged from the portfolio’s latest epidemiological report, where it is given as "the fourth cause of death in the 15 to 29 age group.”

HEALTH & SOCIETY

Public v private: 1 in 4 solely use state healthcare in Argentina

26-04-2023 13:49 One out of every four solely uses the public healthcare system, though more use private schemes exclusively. The commercial system is more used by men and more women have had to adjust their choices due to inflation.

by Sabrina Chemen

HEALTH

39 dead as Argentina suffers largest dengue outbreak since 2020

19-04-2023 14:28 Latest report from National Health Ministry confirms over 41,200 cases and 39 deaths across 15 provinces so far this year.

PONTIFF HOSPITALISED

After pizza and prayer, Pope Francis set to leave hospital on Saturday

31-03-2023 12:12 Pope Francis is expected to return home on Saturday after three nights in hospital with bronchitis, and will attend Palm Sunday services.

HEALTH

Growing concern over rise in dengue and chikungunya cases

27-03-2023 15:18 Epidemiological authorities note dengue cases are doubling week-by-week, with almost 9,400 cases across 13 provinces recorded in latest medical update. Chikungunya cases are also on the rise, with both viruses surging in provinces of Tucumán, Salta and Santa Fe.

by Enrique Garabetyan

PRESIDENT'S HEALTH

President to undergo minor medical procedure after back pain complaint

16-03-2023 18:30 Alberto Fernández is set to undergo a minor medical procedure for a lumbar hernia on Thursday after suffering from sharp back pains.

CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Three years on, Argentina wonders if Covid-19 pandemic is really over

06-03-2023 15:57 Thirty-six months after the first patient with Covid-19 was registered in Argentina, one of the government’s top health advisors looks at what we’ve learnt from the virus crisis.

by Enrique Garabetyan

AVIAN FLU

Government commits one billion pesos to fight bird flu spread

22-02-2023 12:39 Economy Minister Sergio Massa commits one billion pesos in fresh funds to combat avian influenza; Officials fear rapid spread of virus could damage country’s exports.

Society

Births, cosmetic surgeries and operations: Health tourism boom

10-01-2023 11:43 Articles detailing the arrival of pregnant Russian women to give birth are the latest tales of health tourism in Argentina, but the country has long established itself as a destination for expert medical assistance. Those in the know explain why the industry is booming – and what are the most sought-after procedures.

by Enrique Garabetyan

covid-19 in china

Global alarm grows over China's Covid surge

29-12-2022 14:45 Hospitals across China have been overwhelmed by an explosion of infections following Beijing's decision to lift strict rules that had largely kept the virus at bay but tanked the economy and sparked widespread protests.

HEALTH & SOCIETY

Covid surge: Officials recommend use of face-masks on public transport

11-12-2022 09:04 Rise in coronavirus cases in Buenos Aires City and Province prompts Transport Ministry officials to call on passengers to return to wearing face-masks.

HEALTH & SOCIETY

Argentina records first mpox death

29-11-2022 10:30 Argentina has registered its first death from mpox, the disease formerly known as monkeypox, after a patient died in a hospital in the capital.

Presidential health scare

President undergoes medical tests after discomfort at G20

20-11-2022 09:29 President Alberto Fernández underwent an endoscopy on Saturday in Buenos Aires, following up on the health scare he suffered at the G20 Leaders Summit in Bali.