by Alejandra del Palacio

    MEXICO CITY, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Most Latin American countries have reported a downtrend in A/H1N1 flu infections, however more measures to curb the spread of the epidemic were announced Thursday.

    The Panamanian Health authorities announced about 3 million flu vaccines were expected to be produced by January 2010 and authorities would select the sectors most vulnerable to the disease for priority access to the vaccine.

    Panamanian Vice Health Minister Julio Santa maria called on all Panamanians to actively participate in the anti-flu campaign.

    El Salvador recently suspended classes at public and private schools as well as at universities in an effort to avoid a new outbreak of the A/H1N1 virus in the country.

    In Costa Rica, the Social Security Cashbox (CCSS) said A/H1N1 flu had increased the cost of sickness disability payments for workers infected with the disease.

    The CCSS said the cost went up from 5,128 U.S. dollars last year to 24,500 dollars in the same period this year and that, between May and June 2009, there were 1,000 more incapacity applications than in the same period of the previous year.

    The Bolivian Health authorities announced their latest preventive measure for schools.

    If a student contracts A/H1N1, the course he or she is attending will be closed and, if two students from different courses are infected with the virus, the school will be temporarily closed.

    Meanwhile, General Director of the Pan American Health Organization Mirta Roses said Thursday that Uruguay has "one of the best" records for epidemic vigilance on the continent.

    The Mexican government announced it was seeking to borrow 400 million dollars from the World Bank to refurbish the National Epidemiological Vigilance System's computer network and to buy medicines and A/H1N1 flu vaccines to refill the nation's strategic medicine reserves.

    Last week, Brazil announced it would start the production of the first batch of vaccines in October and supplement this with imports. The government has reached agreements with other countries on the purchase of 18 million doses of the vaccines, 1 million of which are to arrive in the country this year and the rest in 2010.

Special Report:  World Tackles A/H1N1 Flu