While the front pages and headlines of the most important newspapers in Lima, Peru covering news about the 16 cases [es] of the H1N1 swine flu in the country, there is not much news about the 133 children who have died [es] due to the seasonal flu caused by the low temperatures in the southern part of the country, especially in the Puno region. Bloggers have started to notice this difference in coverage and have started to write about the subject. León Huarancca Quichca does not trust the media or the government and writes [es]: Hasta ahora la AH1N1 ha sido la gran noticia para los medios de comunicación pese a que aún no ha causado muerte alguna, mientras que la neumonía ya ha matado a 133 niños y niñas, y recién es una noticia minimizada para los medios de comunicación. Según dicen que el Perú crece a todo dar, pero hay niños muriendo de neumonía, personas contagiadas con TBC, y seguramente el presidente García fiel al a su estilo conminará a la gente que hagan donaciones Up until now, the AH1N1 (virus) has been the big news for the media even though there has not been a single death (in Peru), while 133 children have died from pneumonia, and even then it is minor news for the media. Supposedly Peru is growing at a fast rate, but there are children dying of pneumonia, people infected with tuberculosis, and surely President (Alan) García will continue with his style by asking people to make donations. El Paki [es] publishes a short analysis of the coverage provided by the local television station and criticizes the government: Acabo de ver una nota en el noticiero vespertino de canal N sobre la gripe AH1N1, y los contagiados en el colegio Altair de la Molina. Una nota de 5 minutos, con transmisión en vivo. Lo que me recordó al post del Dr. Huerta, que al final de un concienzudo análisis del contenido del noticiero de canal 4 llega a esta conclusión: Total de tiempo dedicado a la gripe AH1N1: 41 minutos. Total de tiempo dedicado a la muerte de decenas de niños peruanos por el frío: UN SOLO MINUTO (en el noticiero del jueves) Y lo que es peor, el ministerio de salud que publicita muy bien su estrategia de lucha contra la fiebre porcina, no tiene datos (mínimamente, no?) acerca del plan de lucha/prevención/tratamiento, de las consecuencias del friaje, que cada año, asola a la infancia de las zonas altoandinas. I just saw a piece on the Channel N nightly news about the AH1N1 flu, and those infected at the Altair de la Molina school. It was a report that lasted 5 minutes, with a live broadcast. It reminded me of the blog post from Dr. Huerta [es], who after a thorough analysis of Channel 4's news content arrived at the following conclusion: Total amount of time dedicated to the AH1N1 flu virus: 41 minutes Total amount of time dedicated to the death of dozens of Peruvian children because of the cold weather: ONLY ONE MINUTE (on the Thursday news broadcast) And what is worse, the Health Minister who publicizes the strategy against the swine flu, does not have any information (minimal, no?) about the plan to fight/prevent/treat the consequences from the yearly cold spell that grips the children from high-altitude Andean regions. With the annual low temperatures that affect the rural populations in southern Peru, many believe that the Health Minister and the local governments should have an adequate preparedness plan in order to prevent cases like this. The blog Caviar de Cianuro [es] is worried about this lack of response: Lo que más rabia da es que recién comienza la ola de frío y muere gente (y al parecer traerá más víctimas). Más desazón da cuando el Gobierno comienza a actuar en el momento en el que las cifras de muertos por las heladas son alarmantes y para colmo utilizan la catástrofe para su proselitismo político. Si hay algo peor que el Gobierno Central es la forma como Hernán Fuentes, presidente regional de Puno, no se pronuncia ni se hace responsabe de alguna actividad para apasiguar el daño que dicha catástrofe ocasiona a su comunidad regional ¡Actúen de inmediato, pero actúen bien y ya! What makes one even angrier is that the cold wave has just begun and people are dying (and apparently there will be more victims). It is even more unsettling when the government only begins to act when the numbers killed by the freeze become alarming and they use the disaster for political campaigning. If there is anything worse than the Central Government is the way that Hernán Fuentes, regional president of Puno, has neither made a statement, nor has taken responsibility for any activity for pacifying the damage affecting his regional community.