Colombian president contracts H1N1 virus

The president began to suffer from flu-like symptoms like fever, headaches and backaches Friday.

The news comes two days after Uribe, a conservative staunch U.S. ally, attended the regional summit meeting with other South American leaders in Argentina.

Minister of Social Protection of Colombia, Diego Palacio, confirmed Sunday that the president is down with swine flu and the regional leaders who attended the summit have been advised a check-up.

Dr. Alberto Cortez, an infectious disease specialist at Colombia's Universidad Nacional, said that there is a possibility that the disease could have been passed to other leaders at the summit as well.

Uribe's spokesman Cesar Velasquez said in a statement, “All the people and government leaders who have had close contact with the president are being informed.” However, no governments have reported any cases of sick officials so far.

Uribe otherwise fine and functioning
Doctors treating the president say that he is in a stable condition. “This isn't something that has us scared,” said Palacio in a news conference.

Public health director Gilberto Alvarez in a telephone interview informed that the president is fine and there was no special need to put him in isolation.

Colombia's presidential office also released a brief statement Sunday saying the president's case was "developing satisfactorily".

Velasquez said that despite the illness, Uribe has planned to handle his duties while he recovers in Rionegro.

“The president is continuing to work, and he will be in quarantine for some time as he recovers. He will continue doing his work by computer,” he said.

Well wishes from Uribe's critic
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who also attended the summit, said that he felt sorry that Uribe has gotten ill, “I regret this and hope there are no repercussions for the president's health and that nobody else has caught the disease.”

“He'll be fine; he's young and he exercises,” Chavez, who is Uribe's frequent critic, said. He also informed that he himself felt well and did not plan to get tested.

"No, not now because I do not have anything. I am feeling so well that yesterday I pitched 10 innings (in a baseball game with his cabinet), we ran for three hours and then I sang a bit," said Chavez, who leaves Monday for a trip to Libya, Algeria, Syria, Iran, Belarus and Russia.

Latin America worst-hit by the fast-spreading virus
Latin America is the worst hit region in the world, reporting 1300 deaths from swine flu this month. Colombia, has reported a total of 621 confirmed cases of swine flu, including that of Uribe's. There have been 34 deaths from the illness, according to the government reports.

“This virus travels at an unbelievable, almost unheard of speed,” said World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan.

“60 percent of the deaths cover those who have underlying health problems,” Chan said.

“This means that 40 percent of the fatalities concern young adults -- in good health -- who die of a viral fever in five to seven days.”

“This is the most worrying fact. Up to 30 percent of people in densely populated countries risked getting infected,” she added.