Mystery cluster of pneumonia cases in Argentina being monitored by World Health Organisation | World News
The World Health Organization is monitoring a series of pneumonia cases of unknown cause in Argentina, in an outbreak that has so far resulted in three deaths.
According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), WHO’s regional office, these 10 cases are linked to a private clinic in the city of San Miguel de Tucuman in the northwest of the country.
PAHO said tests for known respiratory viruses and other viral, bacterial and fungal agents were negative.
Authorities also said they had ruled out COVID.
Biological samples were sent to the Argentine National Institute of Health and Laboratory Administration for additional testing, including analysis for the presence of toxins.
Dr Michael Osterholm, an infectious disease expert at the University of Minnesota, said that because the lungs have so much to do with the lungs, it could be because the patient inhaled something.
He first suspected Legionnaires’ disease, which was caused by inhaling droplets containing Legionella bacteria, but tests ruled that out.
Dr Osterholm said “mysterious diseases” do occur from time to time, and most of them can be explained by some local outbreak unrelated to the pandemic.
He said he expected more accurate information from Argentine health officials in the next five to seven days.
