Mercado Central in Costa Rica’s capital San José is my kind of place: a bustling, crammed market filled with ordinary folks going about their day. Turn a corner and you might see a statue of Jesus, unceremoniously encased in a glass box next to a butcher, or a fruit stand where every color of the rainbow bursts from the lovingly displayed produce.
I stop at a busy lunch counter and break one of my cardinal travel rules: I eat raw fish in a landlocked city. In my defense, I just can’t eat another plate of casado; I’ve been subjected daily to the Costa Rican staple of rice, beans, fried plantain, and a piece of meat or fish. Today’s another scorching day, and the guy next to me relishes his ceviche so much that I give in and order the same.
Costa Rican ceviche is closer to the Mexican variety than the Peruvian kind, with chunks of tilapia, mahi mahi, and octopus in lime marinade garnished with onion, cilantro, and peppers.
Sure, I’m a tad nervous. But of all the eateries in the city, this is probably the closest to a fishmonger’s. Besides, isn’t eating always an act of trust? When we travel, we depend on the kindness of those we encounter—including the owner of this stand, who checks in on me several times to make sure that I enjoy my meal. I do.
In an effort to save crop for the 2013-2014 season, Costa Rican authorities say they will begin the distribution of packs of agrichemicals that will enable coffee growers to combat a fungus known as Roya de Café (Leaf Rust).
Icafé – the Instituto del Café de Costa Rica (Costa Rica Coffee Institute) – says that the fungus affects some 65% of the country’s coffee plantations.
The aid for growers consists of providing packs containing fungicides for spraying, and which can be picked up at 23 offices of the Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería (MAG), across the country.
The executive director of the Icafe, Ronald Peters, said the agrichemicals chosen are well-known to growers and that he was confident they will help solve the problem.
Official figures show that La Roya fungushas affected 65% of the 93,000 hectares (230,000 acres) of coffee plantations in the country, of which 15,000 (37,000) show grave damage.
Crop losses in the 2012-2013 season from the La Roya fungus, which weakens the plant, dries the leaves and causes beans to drop off prematurely, are calculated at US$44 million.
The Q Media has launched its latest website QMentiras.com, a satirical look at headlines in Latin America in English and the world through the keyboard of Quintus Horatius.
Billed as “the news closer to being a lie than the truth”, the website is meant to be fun, to entertain. “If it’s not there it’s because you have damaged the inter-net”, says Quintus.
QMentiras covers Latin American politics, business, technology, entertainment, sports and much, more more: their mission is to ridicule the timid ignorance and promote intelligence – which presses forward.
The stories are purely fictional. However they are meant to address real-world issues through satire and often refer and link to real events happening in Latin America and the world.
QMentiras believes that satire can be an important tool for raising awareness. The name QMentiras is combining the letter Q – where everything is Q – and Mentiras, which is Spanish for Lies. As our name suggest, all that is on QMentiras is a “mentira” or “lie”.
Despite a tougher new traffic law and more traffic officials patrolling the roads, traffic fatalities continues to be high, 73 people losing their lives during the first three months of the year. The good news, however, is that the number is 23 less than the same period last year.
According to the Policia de Tránsito, 25 people died in traffic accidents in January, 24 in February and 24 in March. During Semana Santa this year saw six less traffic fatalities over 2012.
Germán Marín, director of the Policía de Tránsito, attributes the reduction to the tougher traffic law that went into effect in October 2012 and that drivers “are becoming more aware of safety on the roads for fear of heavy fines.”
Another important statistic is the that the number of traffic fatalities involving alcohol dropped, between January and March, from 11 last year to 3 this year.
The Dirección General de Aviación Civil (Civil Aviation) is studying the possibility of allowing the use of electronic devices during landing and takeoff of all flights in Costa Rica.
Jorge Fernández, director of Aviación, confirmed that the entity is defining which devices do not interfere with aviation equipment and allow them during all phases of fligth.
According to Fernández a decision is due before the end of the year.
Last month, in the United States, the FAA said it may soon allow the use of reading devices during takeoff and landing, reevaluating its stance regarding the use of mobile devices like the iPad and Kindle during takeoff and landing. The New York Times reported that the FAA may loosen rules by the end of the year.
Costa Rica’s state-run power company Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE) has begun operations of the 49 MW Toro III hydro in Alajuela province as part of the country’s plans to add 1.06 GW hydroelectricity by 2020.
Toro III joins stages I (26.8 MW) and II (66 MW) that came online in 1995 and 1996, respectively, and use water from the Toro river basin.
Costa Rica will lead Central America capacity and consumption demand in 2027 with 3.43 GW and 21 TWh. The $188 million project was financed via a trust from Banco de Costa Rica with contributions from ICE and Cartago municipal utility Jasec.
The Ministry of Health says it will take into consideration “the science, values and Costa Rican traditions” in deciding whether to approve the use of the emergency contraceptive, known as the “morning after pill”.
The Health minister, Daisy Corrales, explained that in Costa Rica they will seek to certify the “mechanism of action” of the drug in the female reproductive styem.
Rejecting the Corrales position is Luis Carlos Ramírez, member of the Asociación Demográfica Costarricense (Costa Rican Demographic Association), who said described the minister’s decision as “ambiguous” and “babas” (just words).
According to the doctor, the Costa Rican population is “mature and informed” and “there is an urgent need to reduce uwanted pregnacies in the country”.
“In almost all developed countries” prescription is not required because “many studies have shown its effectiveness and safety,” said Ramirez.
In the U.S. a federal judge has ordered the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make “morning-after” emergency contraception pills available without a prescription to all girls of reproductive age, reversing a decision by the Barack Obama administration.
The Chinchilla government announced Friday a plan to install access to the Internet in every public school in the country in order to reduce the digital divide and have better teaching tools.
At present 4,800 public schools have access to the Internet and this year will reach 100% with the installation of the service in the 151 that still do not have it, the state-owned telephone and electric company ICE said in a press release.
The connections, most of them broadband, are part of a joint project of ICE, the Public Education Ministry and the Science and Technology Ministry.
“We are committed in matters of education to reducing the digital divide,” Education Minister Leonardo Garnier said in a statement, in which he also noted “the importance of this for the future of education in Costa Rica”.
Costa Rica, a country of 4.5 million inhabitants, has around 940,000 students in public school.
The investment of Costa Rica in education is 7% of GDP and nearly 98% of the populace can read and write, according to official figures.
More than 90 percent of children complete primary education and 86 percent go on to attend high school, though the dropout rate at the secondary level is 11%.
Nicaragua’s president, Daniel Ortega, said he will come to Costa Rica to meet with U.S. president, Barack Obama. The meeting is to take place in the framework of the Cumbre del Sistema de Integración Económica (SICA) – Summit of Economic Integration System – in San José, on May 3 and 4.
Ortega’s attendance was confirmed by his wife, Rosario Murillo, who serves as coodridnation of Communications of the Nicaraguan government, according to the official digital media Eldigital19.com.
In the past few days it had been uncertain if Ortega would show. Costa Rica’s Foreign Minister, Enrique Castillo, had said the invite had been made by way of Nicaragua’s Amabassador to the OAS, Denis Moncado. However, Ortega said publicly he had not received any formal invitation.
An official letter by presidenta Laura Chinchilla invites Ortega to the summit meetin and dinner.
Relations between Costa Rica and Nicaragua remain tense since October 2010, when the conflict was raised over the Isla Calero, that is still unresolved and now before the International Court of Justice at The Hague.
Besides Ortega, the rest of the presidents of Central America and the Dominican Republic have been also been formally invited.
Are you surprised? We’re not. Nicaraguan president, Daniel Ortega, questioned his attendance to the SICA meeting on May 4 in Costa Rica, that includes US president Barack Obama, for he says “he has received no official invitation”.
Ortega said, “we learned it from the media” of the Sistema de Integración de Centroamérica (SICA) meeting and the Obama attendance and “we are following up on this information”.
Relations between Ortega and Costa Rica presidenta, Laura Chinchilla, have been strained since October 2010 due to the conflict over the Isla Calero, a situation that has escalated to a filing with the International Court of Justice at The Hague, as both countries claim soverignty over the territory.
The last time Ortega was in Costa Rica was in May 2010 to attend the Chinchilla inauguration ceremony. Since, the two leaders have avoided each other, including missing out on SICA meetings when Ortega had the Pro tempore (for the time being) presidency of the Central American organization.
During the Ortega presidency of the SICA, Chinchilla did not attend any meetings in Nicaragua. It is expected that Ortega is now do the same during Chinchilla’s Pro tempore.
However, the May meeting is different, as the US president has confirmed his attendance in San José, in his first visit to the region, as part of his visit to Mexico during his away trip.
As Pro tempore president of the SICA, Chinchill has the obligation of inviting all the participants, including Ortega.
On Wednesday, Costa Rica’s Foreign Minister, Enrique Castillo, said that the (Ortega) invitation had been made by way of Nicaragua’s Ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), Denis Moncada. See our report The Invitation Has Been Made But Will He Show?
We’ve all heard it, getting a drivers license is Costa Rica is as easy as paying someone. But in reality there is an entire process to obtain a new drivers license: a written exam and a driving test.
However, some continue to seek out the easy way to all obtain their drivers licenses illegally. More than 130, including a major sports personality, the daughter of a former judge and a number of public officials, face charges of corruption following Thursday’s police action.
The Organismo de Investigación Judicial (OIJ) investigation found that at least two officials of the Educación Vial (Driver Education Centre) in the Guapiles were involved, with the help of a Heredia woman who was the intermediary and responsible for collecting the bribes.
Judicial officials detained the three, along with another 36 that were charged and released. Another 100 will be receiving notice to appear to give their statement, with a total of more than 130 people who are alleged to have “bought” their licenses.
The investigation found that the group charged ¢90.000 colones for the written exam and then another ¢90.000 for the driving test portion, for a total of ¢180.000 colones or US$350.
The public officials and intermediary were charged with corruption and extortion, those who bought their licenses were charged (or will be charged when they appear to give their statement) with the crime of corrupting a public official.
The Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA) – water and sewer utility – said on Thursday that the recent rains will not prevent their water rationing program in effect.
Sergio Núñez, assistant manager of the Gestión de Sistemas del Gran Área Metropolitana (G.A.M) y Periféricos del Instituto de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA), explained that the rainfall experienced in many parts of the country during the past week or so will not result in an increase in the water level in supply tanks.
Núñez was emphatic that despite the rainfall the AyA will not abandon their water rationing policy of the last few months, not until the rainy season is upon us and the levels in the water tanks begins to rise.
The AyA official said that less people that expected have been affected by the water rationing programs in effect, especially in the higher altitudes and beaches.
But, don’t tell that to the thousands who daily battle with dry taps.
In general, the Banco Central de Costa Rica (BCCR) – Central Bank – had forecast a reduction of Costa Rica’s exports, however three exports in particular have seen a significant drop in the past three years: drugs, melons and textiles.
In the case of drugs, the Promotora de Comercio Exterior (PROCOMER) – Foreign Trade Pomoter – reports sales dropped to US$139.2 million last year from US$291.8 million in 2010. The trend is continuing this year with sales for the first two months of 2013 dropping to US$21.8 million from US$22.7 for the same period last year.
The main destination for Costa Rica’s pharmaceuticals are Central American countries like Panama, with almost one quarter of all drug exports going there, Guatemala and Honduras and the Dominican Republic.
In the case of melons, sales in 2010 were US$73.3 million, while in 2012 they dropped to US$67 million. The slowdown of exports has affected producers in the areas of the Tempisque, the Nicoya Peninsula, Orotina and Parrita.
As far as textiles, according to PROCOMER exports in 2012 plunged to US$209 million from US$223.8 million in 2010. The drop has continued for the first two months of 2013, falling 8% over the same period in 2012.
Costa Rica’s textile industry has gone through some swings in recent years, one of the major effects is the the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Mexico, which reduced tariffs on products from that country.
Other export products showing a slowdown also, though not as significant, are pineapples, bananas, medical devices, and green coffee.
The main market for Costa Rican exports continues to be North America, where 42.3% of all exports land. Costa Rica exports also land in the European Union with 18.5%, Asia with 14.4% and Central America with 14.3%.
“Started out to go fishing and saw the most amazing gigantic pod that I have ever been a part of. There were hundreds. it was incredible and they just wanted to play. They stayed with us for at least half an hour frolicking in both air and water and then spooling around when we stopped, impatient for us to run again so they could lead and chase”, post by TheDMo49 on YouTube.
The Education Ministry’s sex education program has survived another challenge this week when the courts rejected an appeal to suspend the new classes. A petition signed by more than 300 persons claiming to be parents was filed in February against the program.
The protest claimed the classes will “loosen the reins on promiscuity” in prejudice to public order and health.
The judge disagreed with the protest that teachers “are not academically or professionally qualified to teach (the material) and it is illegal for teachers to impart the classes.”
The petition also claimed that the classes teach that “a student may enjoy sexual relations with anyone of each sex or with several persons at once.” (Ironically, Education Minister Leonardo Garnier initiated the program this year to combat the number of teenage pregnancies.)
Judge Jonatan Canales ruled that not only did none of the petitioners present legal credentials but presented no proof that they were, indeed, parents of students as they claimed to be.
Moreover, the judge found no basis for the description of the class material that was alleged in the petition. He also noted that the Consititutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (Sala IV) had ruled last August the parents could withhold permission for their children to take the class.
That challenge had been mounted in a campaign by Evangelical ministers to scuttle the sex education program. The classes are new this year. It is present in seventh, eighth and ninth year high school students after a pilot trial in 15 high schools.
Comment: It is difficult to see the sense of this effort. It is as if the 300 signers are saying, “Let’s put sex education back in the pool halls and street corners where it belongs!”
Lawmakers are debating a controversial plan to relieve crowding of jails by liberating some 4,000 of their inmates wearing electronic bracelets or anklets. But already it has drawn the fire of a penal judge who calls it “extremely perilous.”
The plan would put the bracelet on some convicts as well as suspects who would be held on preventive terms before trial. But some, like Judge Carlos Chinchilla, are firmly opposed to letting them out on the streets, bracelet or no.
The bill was introduced by the Defensa Publica (a court agency of public defenders) and the Justice Ministry that administers prisons. President Chinchilla is supporting it.
The devices can be tracked by satellite and if it enters a restricted area (such as near a witness crime victim in an upcoming trial) emits an alarm. It also could be used by a judge as a substitute for prison.
In certain cases, a study by the National Institute of Criminology might determine that a person sentenced to fewer than six years in prison might be eligible for the bracelet. It can also be used for older minors and for women convicts with minor children or who are pregnant.
The bill would also make eligible for the bracelet people with physical, mental or addictive illnesses or those whose illness makes treating them in prison not feasible.
Commentary: This blog finds itself siding with Judge Chinchilla. Costa Rica’s courts are fumble-fingered enough, notorious for losing track of defendants awaiting trial, without this bill making it worse.
The most frequent way of losing track is when the defendant has been judged guilty but is let free with a court date to hear the sentence. Naturally, the convicted felon runs like a rabbit, knowing he will serve time. Some are never seen again.
It is hard to see how electronic surveillance will cure this. Are the 4,000 or so convicts going to be monitored 24/7? Knowing how things go here in this country, it is likely that a felon will escape and the explanation will be, “We don’t have a budget for full time monitoring of the bracelets.”
Moreover, even if police know where the convict or accused is, the bracelets don’t show what they are doing. Hardened criminals do not think as normal persons do and they could be committing a crime while the monitor watches a moving blip on a Google map, without a clue.
Right now, the bill is under study by the court system, with Judge Chinchilla as the one who writes the report. We hope he doesn’t pull any punches in his opposition. We realize that prisons are not an ideal answer. This bad idea is even worse.
We realize that not all those placed in prison are dangerous criminals. But do the courts really have a handle on which are? Somehow, we doubt it.
Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega has been invited to the SICA summit in Costa Rica, however, tense relations between the two countries may make him a no show
The invitation was made, but will he show up, as Costa Rica extends a friendly hand to Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega to sit with U.S. President Barack Obama and the other presidents of Central America during the Sistema de la Integración Centroamericana (SICA) summit hosted by Presidenta Laura Chinchilla in San José.
In this exclusive photo, Daniel Ortega is his trademark informal attire and accompanied by his wife, Rosario Murillo, attended the Chinchilla inauguration in May 2010.
Costa Rica’s Foreign Minister, Enrique Castillo, told Nicaraguan television on Tuesday that his government “has invited president Ortega” by way of Nicaragua’s Ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), Denis Moncada, to be present at the May 4 summit.
Castillo said on Nicaragua’s television channel 15, that his government has yet to send out “formal” invitations to the presidents of Central America, but have all been contacted by telephone. “We hope all SICA countries will be represented at this historic meeting”, remarked Castillo to his Nicaraguan audience.
Tensions have marked relations between Costa Rica and Nicaragua for more than two years due to the border conflict. Presidents Ortega and Chinchilla have avoided been together at SICA summits during this period.
The last time Ortega was in Costa Rica was at the Chinchilla inauguration in May 2010.
The SICA meeting, which will include Presidenta Obama, will discuss development cooperation and bilateral trade in the region. According to Castillo, organized crime, drug trafficking and natural disasters are the main topics of discussion. Plus there will be discussion on immigration reforms, a topic driven by the US president.
Earth science researchers flew small unmanned aerial vehicles in secret into the sulfur dioxide plume of Costa Rica’s volcano Turrialba to study its chemical environment.
The scientists launched flights of small electric aircraft, equipped with cameras and sensors, into the volcanic plume of the Turrialba Volcano reported NASA.
The Dragon Eye UAVs, formerly used by the U.S. Marine Corps, used in the study weigh 5.9 pounds, have a 3.75-foot wingspan and utilize twin electric engines that ingest little contaminated air, the researchers said.
In Costa Rica, 3 Dragon Eye drones did 10 trips to the interior of the volcano creater that is 3 thousand and 340 meters high from the 11 to 14 of march.
Cell number portability is around the corner, almost, with the state telecom ICE the only holdout in the process in signing a contract with the El Corte Inglés that will administer the system.
So far Movistar, Claor, Full Móvil and Tuyo have all signed the deal.
The Asociación de Consumidores Libres last month presented a formal complaint with the Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (SUTEL), because according to them the interests of consumers are being violated as users cannot take advantage of offers in the market.
Number portability will allow a user to switch operator and keep the same phone number.
The El Corte Inglés was awarded the license to operate and maintain the number portability system and be the go between operators in the process if and when requested by a user.
Today Thursday could be another day of vehicular chaos on the country’s roads, this time the porteadores (informal taxis) taking to the streets in protest.
Organizers say the protest will be felt in more than 50 locations throughout the country, as the porteadores demand the government fully implement the law created for the porteo.
The protesters allege the lack of formalization for the permits and will use action to raise their voice agains the recent increases in fuel prices.
Electricity rates will increase between ¢1 and ¢4 kilowatt hour in the coming days, announced the on Wednesday the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios Públicos (Aresep).
María Angélica Carvajal, spokesperson for the Aresep, explained the adjustment relates to an increase use of fuels during th dry season.
The percentage increase for each utility is as follows:
The variable cost of fuel is applied quarterly. The Aresep has projected that electrical rates increase during the first two quarters of the year and decline in the third and fourth.
Costa Rica relies on hydroelectric generation during the rainy season, increasing the use of carbon fuels to generate power during the dry season.
The rise in electrical rates follows an increase in fuel prices of ¢24 and ¢28 colones per litre approved by the Aresep on Monday.
Both increases have to be published in La Gaceta, which is expected in the coming days, before they can take effect.
The Mexican company Sigma Alimentos announced Monday its purchase of the Costa Rican dairy Productores de Monteverde, adding to its presence in the Costa Rican market.
The announcement was made in a brief press release, which did not provide details of the purchase price or the terms of the purchase. Julio Mijares, Sigma’s director of operations in Costa Rica, made the announcement.
For months rumours had been circulating about Dos Pinos looking to aquire Monteverde, in an effort to strengthen its cheese products and compete with European product entry in the Acuerdo de Asociación (Association Agreement) between Central America and the European Union. The agreement is pending first debate in the Legislature.
Sigma has been operating in Costa Rica since 2002, when it acquired Embutudos Zar, producers of packaged meats and Industrias Lácteas Tecnificadas (Inlatec), a cheese specialty company and the main provider to Pizza Hut.
The press release explained that Sigma has operations in 10 countries and in 2012 had sales of US$3.4 billion dollars.
The number of cases of Dengue in the first quarter of the year over has quadrupled over the same period in 2012 and 2011. In the first ten weeks of the year, the Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social (CCSS) reports more than 6.000 cases.
In the same period in 2012, the number of cases was 1.437 and 1.158 in 2011.
Catalina Ramírez, head of the Enfermedades Eemergentes y Eeemergentes de la subárea de Vigilancia Epidemiológica (Emerging Infectious Diseases of the Epidemiological Surveillance) at the CCSS, explained that the current rate is the highest seen in the last decade.
Another concern for Ramírez is that the growth is occurring in the dry season when rainfall intensity is very low, a situation that could worsen with the arrival of the rainsy season.
Ramírez says that despite the information and prevention measures, the population remains indifferent to the severity of the virus.
Prevention. Avoid getting infected whether at home on travel…
There are no approved vaccines for the dengue virus. Prevention thus depends on control of and protection from the bites of the mosquito that transmits it. The World Health Organization recommends an Integrated Vector Control program consisting of five elements: Advocacy, social mobilization and legislation to ensure that public health bodies and communities are strengthened, collaboration between the health and other sectors (public and private), an integrated approach to disease control to maximize use of resources, evidence-based decision making to ensure any interventions are targeted appropriately and capacity-building to ensure an adequate response to the local situation.
The primary method of controlling A. aegypti is by eliminating its habitats. This is done by emptying containers of water or by adding insecticides or biological control agents to these areas, although spraying with organophosphate or pyrethroid insecticides is not thought to be effective. Reducing open collections of water through environmental modification is the preferred method of control, given the concerns of negative health effect from insecticides and greater logistical difficulties with control agents. People can prevent mosquito bites by wearing clothing that fully covers the skin, using mosquito netting while resting, and/or the application of insect repellent (DEET being the most effective).
More on the Dengue fever
Dengue fever, also known as breakbone fever, is an infectious tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash that is similar to measles. In a small proportion of cases the disease develops into the life-threatening dengue hemorrhagic fever, resulting in bleeding, low levels of blood platelets and blood plasma leakage, or into dengue shock syndrome, where dangerously low blood pressure occurs.
Dengue is transmitted by several species of mosquito within the genus Aedes, principally A. aegypti. The virus has four different types; infection with one type usually gives lifelong immunity to that type, but only short-term immunity to the others. Subsequent infection with a different type increases the risk of severe complications. As there is no commercially available vaccine, prevention is sought by reducing the habitat and the number of mosquitoes and limiting exposure to bites.
Treatment of acute dengue is supportive, using either oral or intravenous rehydration for mild or moderate disease, and intravenous fluids and blood transfusion for more severe cases. The incidence of dengue fever has increased dramatically since the 1960s, with around 50–100 million people infected yearly. Early descriptions of the condition date from 1779, and its viral cause and the transmission were elucidated in the early 20th century. Dengue has become a global problem since the Second World War and is endemic in more than 110 countries. Apart from eliminating the mosquitoes, work is ongoing on a vaccine, as well as medication targeted directly at the virus.
Signs and symptoms Typically, people infected with dengue virus are asymptomatic (80%) or only have mild symptoms such as an uncomplicated fever. Others have more severe illness (5%), and in a small proportion it is life-threatening. The incubation period (time between exposure and onset of symptoms) ranges from 3–14 days, but most often it is 4–7 days. Therefore, travelers returning from endemic areas are unlikely to have dengue if fever or other symptoms start more than 14 days after arriving home. Children often experience symptoms similar to those of the common cold and gastroenteritis (vomiting and diarrhea) and have a greater risk of severe complications, though initial symptoms are generally mild but include high fever.
Associated problems
Dengue can occasionally affect several other body systems,[8] either in isolation or along with the classic dengue symptoms. A decreased level of consciousness occurs in 0.5–6% of severe cases, which is attributable either to infection of the brain by the virus or indirectly as a result of impairment of vital organs, for example, the liver.
Other neurological disorders have been reported in the context of dengue, such as transverse myelitis and Guillain-Barré syndrome. Infection of the heart and acute liver failure are among the rarer complications.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of dengue is typically made clinically, on the basis of reported symptoms and physical examination; this applies especially in endemic areas. However, early disease can be difficult to differentiate from other viral infections. A probable diagnosis is based on the findings of fever plus two of the following: nausea and vomiting, rash, generalized pains, low white blood cell count, positive tourniquet test, or any warning sign (see table) in someone who lives in an endemic area. Warning signs typically occur before the onset of severe dengue. The tourniquet test, which is particularly useful in settings where no laboratory investigations are readily available, involves the application of a blood pressure cuff at between the diastolic and systolic pressure for five minutes, followed by the counting of any petechial hemorrhages; a higher number makes a diagnosis of dengue more likely with the cut off being more than 10 to 20 per 2.5 cm2 (1 inch2).
The diagnosis should be considered in anyone who develops a fever within two weeks of being in the tropics or subtropics. It can be difficult to distinguish dengue fever and chikungunya, a similar viral infection that shares many symptoms and occurs in similar parts of the world to dengue. Often, investigations are performed to exclude other conditions that cause similar symptoms, such as malaria, leptospirosis, viral hemorrhagic fever, typhoid fever, meningococcal disease, measles, and influenza.
The earliest change detectable on laboratory investigations is a low white blood cell count, which may then be followed by low platelets and metabolic acidosis.[5] A moderately elevated level of aminotransferase (AST and ALT) from the liver is commonly associated with low platelets and white blood cells.[7] In severe disease, plasma leakage results in hemoconcentration (as indicated by a rising hematocrit) and hypoalbuminemia.[5] Pleural effusions or ascites can be detected by physical examination when large,[5] but the demonstration of fluid on ultrasound may assist in the early identification of dengue shock syndrome.[1][5] The use of ultrasound is limited by lack of availability in many settings.[1] Dengue shock syndrome is present if pulse pressure drops to ≤ 20 mm Hg along with peripheral vascular collapse.[7] Peripheral vascular collapse is determined in children via delayed capillary refill, rapid heart rate, or cold extremities.[8]
Downtown San José was red on Tuesday as thousands of taxi drivers took to the streets to protest the lack of action by the Policía de Tránsito against informal taxi drivers.
The taxi drivers want the enforcement of controls to curb “porteadores” (informal taxis) and “piratas” (gypsy cabs) from taking away their business.
In the commitment received yesterday, the director of the Policía de Tránsito, German Marin, said there will be stricter controls in the coming months, as transit officials will attack the piracy problem.
The ministro de bras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT), Pedro Castro, announced a “brigada anti-pirata” – special police unit to combat the pirata problem. Castro and Marin said the unit will be made up of eight Tránsito (traffic officials) in short term and expanded to 50 officials in the long term.
Some taxi drivers are skeptical that the MOPT will follow through, many agreements have been reached in the past and just as many have fallen by the wayside, forcing taxi drivers to take to the streets again and again.
Porteadores or informal taxi drivers to take to the streets on Thursday
But the street protests are not at an end, the porteadores announced they will take to the streets on Thursday.
German Lobo, head of the Cámara Costarricense de Porteadores, aruges that the under the special law that conferred rights to porteadores, nobody knows who is authorized to perform the paid public service, leading to chaos due to the large amount of informal taxis that cropped up over the last couple of years.
The Cámara Costarricense de Porteadores wants the Consedo de Trasnporte Publico (CTP) to formalize agreement and to detain drivers who work without permits. The Cámara also wants their drivers to be covered by social security.
Up to 4.500 porteadores may take to the streets on Thursday, according to Lobo.
The presidential candidate of the National Liberation Party (PLN), Johnny Araya filed a constitutional motion to bring down a 15-day suspension from his post as mayor of San José, that imposed the Contraloría General de la República (Comptroller General) in 2010.
Araya argues in his action, filed last February 1, the Comptroller cannot administratively remove him without having started a judicial process against him. The presidential candidate is of the opinion, that the suspension “restricts political human righs protected by Article 23 of the American Convention on Human Rights”.
Araya is asking the Sala Constitucional or Sala IV (Constitutional Court) to declare the articles of the Ley General de Control Interno (Internal Control Act) which empowers the Comptroller to order the temporary removal or firing of public officials.
The action was filed by attorney Jorge Leiva, who in the past has filed against the same legislation, for the ministro de Seguridad Publica, Mario Zamora. That complaing served to brake the Araya ad a dozen other state employees, so that the Comptroller’s sanction not become effetive until now.
Costa Rica has obtained authorization from China’s top quality watchdog to export dairy product to China, the Ministry of Foreign Trade said Tuesday.
Anabel Gonzalez, the foreign trade minister, welcomed the authorization, saying it was the result of hard work on the part of several institutions striving to expand trade bonds with China.
“This is important news for the agricultural export sector, which has great opportunities in this market. Last year China imported more than 3.2 billion U.S. dollars worth of dairy products,” she said.
Costa Rica is allowed to export banana, bovine leather and beef to China. It is waiting for approval to export pork, poultry products, seafood, pineapples and melons.
Natalia Santamaria Benavides, marketing and sales manager at Hard Rock Cafe Costa Rica. Photo: La Republica
After facing building permit delays, the first Hard Rock Cafe in Costa Rica is expected to open in the coming months, after the announced January opening got pushed back to March.
In fact, there is still no certainty of the opening date, only that it will be after May. The construction work on the exterior is 90% complete according to the franchisee. The only certainty at this time is that a job fair to hire staff will be on April 14 at 9am a the Wyndham Hotel Herradura convention centre.
Once opened it will be largest Hard Rock Cafe in Latin America, and reflect the spirit of the brand, combined with a local identity. On the official Hard Rock Café website, the Costa Rica location is described as, the “Hard Rock Cafe San José Costa Rica will feature unique design elements, not only to comply with the standards of the company, but also to give customers a little taste of Costa Rica. A unique 360 degree stage ‘imitates’ Costa Rica’s Central Valley and will give guests a perfect view of what’s happening around the Cafe, outside. There will also be two wide-open terraces with fire pits”.
“The different materials, renovations and adaptions are what will make the Hard Rock Cafe in Costa Rica different from others in the world”, said Natalia Santamaría Benavides, marketing and sales manager at Hard Rock Cafe Costa Rica.
Benavides added that the changes has also increased the initial investment from US$2.5 million to US$3 million dollars.
The Hard Rock signature stamp is definitely music and therefore national and international artists are being evaluated, to perform in local concerts.
“These presentations are characterized by their energy and passion, both components of our brand, but there will be a variety of styles and genres, as the music evolves, so do we”, Benavides told La Republica.
“For now we are planning something very special for our grand opening party. We will provide details when they are more concrete”, said Benavides.
The Hard Rock Cafe in Costa Rica will have a capacity for 260 people at 50 tables. There will also be a VIP area that can accommodate 60 to 80 people, for private parties and event. For concerts, the Hard Rock Cafe in Costa Rica can accommodate up to 600 people, that includes the terraces.
The Hard Rock Cafe in Costa Rica is located adjacent to the Wyndham Herradura Hoteal, owner of the franchise in Costa Rica.
Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of theme restaurants founded in 1971 by Americans Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a tradition which expanded to others in the chain. In 2007, Hard Rock was sold to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and is headquartered in Orlando, Florida. Currently, there are 175 Hard Rock locations in 53 countries with the largest in Orlando.
A Tránsito (traffic official) who tried to take a bite out the wallet of a driver found himself detained by Judicial officials and could end up losing his job.
The victim said he was asked for ¢5.000 colones “for a coffee” by traffic official, Hernán Soto Córdona, to look the other way.
The driver said he took a snapshot (with his cell phone) of the bill’s serial number and then called judicial police to report the “mordida”, a term in Costa Rica referred to a bribe.
Judicial officials took the traffic official into custody for questioning and is sure to be charged with corruption.
