Colombia’s ministry of Social Protection issued an alert for a possible outbreak of the adenovirus.
According to the ministry, the alert specifically relates to the capital Bogota and other high-altitude regions where the virus can spread more easily.
Eight people were confirmed as carrying the virus in the capital.
“The Bogota health secretary and all department and municipal secretaries are working on the issue and hope that no new cases occur. The alert is national, but is emphasized in Bogota and the high regions of the country,” RCN Radio quoted Minister Mauricio Santa Maria as saying.
The virus was established in Bogota last week.
Adenoviruses are medium-sized (90–100 nm), nonenveloped (naked)
icosahedral viruses composed of a nucleocapsid and a double-stranded
linear DNA genome. There are 55 described serotypes in humans, which
are responsible for 5–10% of upper respiratory infections in children,
and many infections in adults as well.