Colombia president catches swine flu
10:05 31/08/2009 MOSCOW, August 31 (RIA Novosti) - Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has contracted swine flu, regional media reports said on Monday.
Uribe began complaining of a fever, headaches and back pain after returning from a summit of South American leaders in Argentina, Colombian officials said on Sunday.
Uribe will continue to work from home for about a week while he recovers, presidential spokesman Cesar Mauricio Velasquez was quoted as saying.
Summit participants have been informed, the spokesman said.
The Union of South American Nations (Unasur) summit met in Argentina on Friday to discuss a deal giving U.S. troops access to Colombian bases.
Uribe is the second Latin American leader to come down with swine flu after Costa Rica's Oscar Arias announced on August 11 that he had the virus and was being quarantined at home.
Colombia has reported 621 confirmed cases of swine flu, including Uribe's. There have been 34 deaths from the illness in the country.
The virus has spread worldwide since its initial outbreak in Mexico in April. The World Health Organization declared a pandemic in June.
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