A mysterious illness has hospitalized dozens of people in Argentina, bearing a resemblance to the arrival of Covid-19. An alert was circulated via an international public health surveillance system, reporting 60 cases of the sickness in Buenos Aires.
The alert was sent through the same database that alerted authorities to the Covid-19 outbreak in late 2019. The illness has primarily affected young people without major risk factors, and some patients have required mechanical ventilation. The alert also mentioned symptoms of psittacosis, a flu-like illness known as parrot fever, but many affected individuals had no contact with birds.
Experts have urged health officials not to be complacent in the face of another respiratory illness, although the threat is unlikely to pose a wider risk. Further information is being sought about the cases.
