11 die from H1N1 flu in northern Chile

Eleven people have died from the H1N1 influenza virus in northern Chile in an outbreak that the health minister raised the possibility of decreeing a health alert to restrict people's mobility. Health Minister Jaime Manalich, who was touring the northern region Friday, said he could decree a health alert to impose " certain restrictions or controls on people's mobility, measures to avoid concentrations" of people. Northern Chile has registered a notably higher rate of infection than the rest of the country, with 146 cases of the virus per 100,000 inhabitants reported versus the average of 24 cases per 100,000, according to an official report. Concerns are mounting that the Fiesta de la Tirana, a religious celebration scheduled for July 16 in the northern Tarapaca region, could further spread the virus as about 200,000 people are expected to converge. On the possibility of canceling the annual festival, Manalich, however, said that he had no authority to do that. The Health Committee of the Chamber of Deputies has requested the government to declare a state of emergency to avoid an aggravation of the outbreak in the region, some 1,900 km north of Santiago near the border with Bolivia.