International
Floods in southern Brazil put the public health system in check
Floods in southern Brazil have pushed the precarious public health system to the limit, with hospitals surrounded by water, patients being transferred to haste and dozens of outpatient clinics affected by this climate catastrophe, which so far leaves 156 dead and 94 missing.
The rains that have hit the state of Rio Grande do Sul since the end of April have submerged a large part of the municipality of Canoas, one of the most affected. Two-thirds of the population was evacuated and one of the city’s hospitals is still surrounded by water.
At the Hospital of Pronto Socorro Diputado Nelson Marchezan the water has almost completely blocked the entrance of visitors. A refrigerator floats around. “He’s lost,” in the words of Mayor Jairo Jorge.
The impact on the regional health structure has been tremendous.
According to initial calculations by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, at least 801 health posts in 123 cities were totally or partially flooded.
Some basic care units are completely destroyed. For this reason, several field hospitals have been set up urgently, some managed by the Armed Forces.
“We have a fairly large volume (of patients),” Cecilia Soster, a nurse responsible for the field hospital built in Porto Alegre, tells EFE.
The Army installed another one in the town of São Leopoldo, where about half of the health posts are closed.
“We are doing an average of 100-120 consultations per day,” says Lieutenant-Conel Frederico Fuhrmeister, the doctor who coordinates the unit.
In addition, in the first days of the disaster there was no drinking water and there were serious problems with the supply of medicines because many roads were closed and the international airport of Porto Alegre, the regional capital, closed, with the forecast that it will only work again from September.
Organ transplants were paralyzed for two weeks and resumed again thanks to the use of helicopters borrowed by other states.
“It is the biggest climate catastrophe experienced in Rio Grande do Sul. Many healthcare services have been affected,” Roberta Vanacôr, head of Epidemiological Surveillance of Rio Grande do Sul, tells EFE.
Faced with this, the Ministry of Health announced on Friday a package of 66.5 million reais (13 million dollars / 12 million euros) to reactivate flooded hospitals, increase health surveillance and expand the number of beds, among other actions.
On the other hand, large floods also lead to the possible appearance of outbreaks of diseases caused by waters contaminated by animals or even pesticides, something that worries the health authorities.
“We have many agricultural areas with reserves of agrotoxics that have been flooded,” warns Carlos Machado, of the Center for Studies and Research of Emergencies and Disasters in Health of the Fiocruz institute.
The possible appearance of cases of hepatitis A, acute diarrhea and leptospirosis is also feared. Vanacôr reveals that they have already received “suspicious samples” of this disease that is transmitted by contact with water contaminated by the urine of infected animals.
Respiratory syndromes are also worrying, not counting the impact on mental health. Regarding influenza, they have been arrested to vaccinate the more than 77,000 people who have had to leave their homes and today live in shelters.
The crowds and low temperatures of this time of year in this region are the perfect breeding ground for respiratory infections.
But it also adds that Brazil is going through the worst dengue epidemic since there are records, with almost five million cases and about 2,800 deaths since the beginning of the year, according to official data.
The Aedes aegypti mosquito, transmitter of the disease, proliferates in places with accumulated water and 90% of the municipalities of Rio Grande do Sul are affected by the floods.
Vanacôr clarifies that the cold shortens the life cycle of the mosquito, but warns that just a sequence of milder temperatures is enough for there to be an increase in dengue cases.
International
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem claimed that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has deported “more than half a million” migrants due to pressure from former President Donald Trump.
During a cabinet meeting highlighting the “achievements” of Trump’s administration in its first 100 days, Noem asserted that under the Republican leader’s influence, “Mexico has finally come to the table” to negotiate on migration and fentanyl trafficking.
“The president of Mexico told me she has returned just over half a million people before they reached our border,” Noem stated, criticizing media reports that suggest the Biden administration deported more migrants than Trump’s.
“I wish those deportations were counted,” Noem added, “because those people never made it to our border—she sent them back because you made her.” She went on to thank Trump: “They never made it here because they got the message—because you were so aggressive.”
Noem has made controversial claims about Sheinbaum in the past, prompting the Mexican leader to refute them.
On April 1, Sheinbaum responded to one such statement by declaring, “The president answers to only one authority, and that is the people of Mexico,” after Noem said on Fox News that she gave Sheinbaum “a list of things Trump would like to see” and that Mexico’s actions would determine whether Trump granted tariff relief.
International
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
he Vatican’s post offices and select collector shops began selling special edition stamps this week to mark the period between the death of Pope Francis and the election of his successor.
Known as “Sede Vacante” stamps, they feature an image used on official Vatican documents during the interregnum between popes — two crossed keys without the papal tiara. These stamps went on sale Monday and will remain valid for postal use only until the new pontiff appears at the window overlooking St. Peter’s Square.
Until then, they can be used to send letters, postcards, and parcels. “Once the new pope is elected, the stamps lose their postal validity, but their collectible value rises,” said Francesco Santarossa, who runs a collectors’ shop across from St. Peter’s Square.
The Vatican has issued the stamps in four denominations: €1.25, €1.30, €2.45, and €3.20. Each is inscribed with “Città del Vaticano” and “Sede Vacante MMXXV” — Latin for “Vacant See 2025.”
International
Conclave to choose pope Francis’ successor could begin in early may
The conclave, which in the coming weeks must choose the successor to Pope Francis, will strictly follow a precise protocol refined over centuries.
The 135 cardinal electors, all under the age of 80, will cast their votes four times a day — except on the first day — until one candidate secures a two-thirds majority. The result will be announced to the world through the burning of the ballots with a chemical that produces the eagerly awaited white smoke, accompanied by the traditional cry of “Habemus Papam.”
The start date for the conclave could be announced today, as the cardinals are set to hold their fifth meeting since the pope’s passing. Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich suggested it could begin on May 5 or 6, following the traditional nine days of mourning. According to German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the conclave could last only “a few days.”
Although the late Argentine pontiff appointed the majority of the cardinal electors, this does not necessarily ensure the selection of a like-minded successor. Francis’ leadership style differed significantly from that of his predecessor, Benedict XVI, a German theologian who was less fond of large public gatherings. It also marked a contrast with the popular Polish pope, John Paul II.
The Argentine Jesuit’s reformist papacy drew strong criticism from more conservative sectors of the Church, who are hoping for a doctrinally focused shift. His tenure was marked by efforts to combat clerical sexual abuse, elevate the role of women and laypeople, and advocate for the poor and migrants, among other causes.
Kristi Noem credits Trump for mass migrant deportations by mexican president
Vatican releases special “Sede Vacante” stamps ahead of papal transition
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