The Tico Times Online Daily Page

ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE: Pacheco: 64% nothing to be sad about.
AFP/TT

Pacheco Puts Positive Spin On Opinion Polls
Preferring to call the cup half-full, President Abel Pacheco yesterday defended his performance in the public opinion polls published Tuesday in the daily Al Día, which showed that 79.3% of Ticos say the President is doing an "average" to "awful" job.
(Click for more)

Health Ministry Announces Further Actions in Fight Against SARS
Health Minister Rocío Sáenz yesterday issued President Abel Pacheco with a report on recent developments on the current worldwide Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic, highlighted steps being taken by Tico health authorities to prevent an outbreak of the disease here, and announced a soon-to-be-released plan to treat potential cases.
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Sampson to Call Home Futbol Stars
For Match Against Chile
Costa Rican National Soccer Team coach Steve Sampson yesterday announced he will again call home his star soccer players from the European leagues to play in next Wednesday's "friendly" match against Chile in Santiago.
(Click for more)

Book Presentation
"Tiempo de Claveles," by Tatiana Lobo, at 7 p.m., Alliance Française, Barrio Amón. Info: 222-3803, ext. 23.

Book Day
Children: enjoy the surprises, contests, and other activities today at 3:30 p.m. at Librería Internacional in Multiplaza. Info: 800-542-7374.

Serenate Night
All are welcome to a romantic night with the tunes of local musicians at 7 p.m. at Casa de la Cultura, Heredia. Info: 261-1185.

Pacheco Puts Positive Spin On Opinion Polls
By Fabian Borges
Tico Times Staff

Preferring to call the cup half-full, President Abel Pacheco yesterday defended his performance in the public opinion polls published Tuesday in the daily Al Día, which showed that 79.3% of Ticos say the President is doing an "average" to "awful" job.

Conducted by the independent polling firm Demoscopía, interviews of 1,240 Costa Ricans showed that 42% think Pacheco is doing a "bad" to "awful" job after almost one year in office, while 37.4% say he is doing an "average" job 19.3% claim he is doing a "good" to "excellent" job.

Pacheco's numbers appear to dramatically dipping since a Unimer poll last October that showed the President's approval rating was 81.6% (TT, Oct. 25).

However, when asked to grade Pacheco on his leadership abilities, values, message, vision for the future and effectiveness, those polled gave the President a overall grade of 64.2, down from 85.5 last August.

Asked about Pacheco's principal failure as President, 33.7% answered it was his support for the U.S. war on Iraq -- the leading answer given by Ticos.

In his defense, Pacheco said he was governing in hard times but that Costa Rica continues to move in the right direction. Plus, he added, he numbers aren't really that bad.

"If you consider that I have the approval of 64%…[former President] José María [Figueres (1994-1998)] only had 12% after one year in office, and Miguel Angel [Rodríguez (1998-2002)] less than 5%," Pacheco said. "So how am I going to be sad if the people generously give me 64%?

"It is a fact that good news doesn't sell newspapers, and that's why they only print bad news," he added.

Health Ministry Announces Further
Actions in Fight Against SARS
By Fabián Borges
Tico Times Staff

Health Minister Rocío Sáenz yesterday issued President Abel Pacheco with a report on recent developments on the current worldwide Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic, highlighted steps being taken by Tico health authorities to prevent an outbreak of the disease here, and announced a soon-to-be-released plan to treat potential cases.

SARS is an atypical and highly contagious strain of pneumonia caused by a previously unknown coronavirus, of the family that includes the virus that causes the uncommon cold. Symptoms include 100-degree fevers, dry cough and difficulty breathing. Although no known cure exists, the illness can be controlled in its early stages.

SARS is immune to traditional anti-viral treatments and requires hospitalization and round-the-clock supervision. Doctors have yet to come up with a quick sure-fire procedure to test patients suspected of carrying the virus.

The disease has caused a crisis in Asia, where it originated. The first two Latin American cases were diagnosed in Brazil last week. As of Monday, 3,861 cases have been diagnosed worldwide and 217 people have died.

On April 1, the Health Ministry requested the Public Works and Transport Ministry's (MOPT) help in securing the country's ports and airports and began a nationwide campaign to educate health-care personnel on how to diagnose and treat the virus. (TT Daily Page, April 2)

Three false cases were reported in Costa Rica last week - two at Juan Santamaría International Airport and one in the Caribbean port city of Limón. Health Ministry officials arrived on the scene quickly and conducted the necessary tests.

"Regrettably, the information on SARS that had come out of China was not reflecting the reality of the situation the country has been living," Sáenz explained. "We had been informed that the virus could be acquired only through direct respiratory contact with infected patients. However, last week, Chinese officials began cleaning out several markets. This leads us to believe there may be other possible forms of transmission."

The Health Ministry has been paying close attention to daily reports issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) and will implement any measures it suggests, she said.

The WHO has also issued a bulletin requesting travelers to avoid trips to cities and countries where SARS outbreaks have taken place. The bulletin lists London, Toronto, Vietnam, Singapore, Taiwan, Beijing, Hong Kong, Mongolia, and Wandong Province in China as places to avoid.

Later in the week, the Health Ministry and Social Security (Caja) will unveil a plan on how the country will deal with SARS.

The plan, drafted with help from the Pan American Health Organization, will define how officials should react in case of a SARS epidemic. It will also detail what institutions will be in charge of carrying out the necessary tests, whom to contact in case of an outbreak, how cases will be treated and contained, and where designated quarantine areas will be.

"The country has made a good effort and is taking the necessary precautions to ensure the health of the country's population," Sáenz stressed.