Costa Ricans will have to get used to living with dengue, Health Minister Rocío Sáenz said on Wednesday.

“After more than 10 years, the possibility of eradication is more and more remote,” Sáenz told La Nación. The announcement was the first time the admission was made publicly since the mosquito-transmitted virus reappeared in the country in 1993.

“This (admission) has practical applications because it forces us to contain this disease with different weapons,” Sáenz said.

Dengue is carried by the mosquito Aedes aegypti and comes in various strains. The symptoms are generally fever and bodily pain.

Vice-Minister of Health Eduardo López said that as of Feb. 29 there were 1,077 cases of dengue reported in the country. Of those, four were the hemorrhagic type – a strain of the disease that can cause death by the loss of bodily fluids if not treated in time.

The discovery of those hemorrhagic cases and a 50% increase in the number of infected people compared to this time last year has health officials concerned, La Nación reported.

In response, the Social Security System (Caja) will redouble efforts to destroy the small pools of water in which mosquitoes lay their eggs. Along with private businesses and municipalities, it plans a campaign to collect old tires and containers where water can gather and to distribute information about preventing the disease.

The ministry is now mapping the places in the country that present the greatest risk of dengue to focus its efforts on them.

The Ministry’s office of Health Vigilance reports that Limón, on the Caribbean coast, is the area with the highest number of dengue cases. In the first two months of this year 278 cases were documented in that region.

The city with the second highest number of cases this year is Matina, also on the Caribbean slope, with 88. Liberia in Guanacaste takes third place with 79 cases and Alajuela, northwest of San José, takes fourth with 61 cases. Those last two cities are the only two in the country that have major international airports.

The Caja has recommended that people in Limón wear strips of cloth sprayed with insect repellent around their wrists and ankles, especially in the most impoverished neighborhoods, La Nación reported.

COSTA Rica last Sunday offered exiled Haitian President Jean Bertrand Aristide temporary political asylum in the country. However, Aristide chose to seek asylum in the Central African Republic.

“The Government of Costa Rica wishes and will do everything in its reach to make it possible for the Haitian people to live in democracy and recover their tranquility and peace,” stated a government press release.

LEGISLATORS and the government last week agreed to extend the final deadline for the completion of last-minute changes to the government’s Permanent Fiscal Reform Package until March 6.

Last December, after 15 months of debate, a mixed commission that included representatives from every legislative faction, business chambers and other groups unveiled what was believed to be the final version of the tax plan. The government adopted the plan and submitted it back to the Legislative Assembly as a bill on Jan. 19 (TT, Dec. 5, 2003).

A nine-member legislative commission was created Feb. 5 to study the tax plan so it could be voted on. The commission was given until Feb 26 to make last-minute changes (TT, Feb. 13).

Commission members, in particular Federico Malavassi (TT, Feb. 20) of the Libertarian Movement and Humberto Arce of the Patriotic Bloc, issued several motions to reform the tax plan. When the Feb. 26 deadline arrived, there was still much work to do, they said.

Last week, while in Mexico during a 12-day, four-country tour, President Abel Pacheco (TT, Daily Feb. 21) said he agreed to give the commission one more week to study and modify the tax plan.

However, Pacheco made clear the new deadline would be final. The final deadline for the approval of the plan by April 30 would continue to stand, he said.

If the tax plan is not approved by then, the government will move ahead with “Plan B” – a ¢72 billion ($171.4 million, roughly 1% of the country’s gross domestic product) cut to the budgets of 15 different government ministries and several social programs.

DURING the last year, The Tico Times has reported the opinions of trade experts, proponents and opponents of the Central America Free-Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with the United States.

This week, we went out on the street and sought the opinions of average Costa Ricans – the people who will be most affected by the approval or rejection of CAFTA.

We asked nine Ticos about their views, expectations and concerns surrounding the trade pact, which representatives of Central America and the United States expect to sign next month.

Antonio Araya, bus driver, San José-Tres Ríos

“IT will be harmful for the country in many ways. The poor will be the ones who suffer the most. It will create more problems. It will favor the rich. If most people are doing bad, that will affect me directly.”

Ronald Dotti, sales manager, Bansbach Music Supply Store

“I think it won’t affect us. Things will stay the same. We import our products from the United States and Asia. Maybe what we import from the United States will be cheaper. If there’s more money in Costa Rica, it will benefit us. That would help everyone. The free-trade agreement could benefit commerce.”

Wilmer Cortés, police officer in San José

“FOR us, as long as the Public Security Ministry continues to operate just as it does now, we will be fine. If it benefits the country, maybe it will benefit us with newer and better equipment with which to do our jobs. From what I’ve heard, there are good parts and bad parts. As a citizen, I think it will benefit me.”

Dr. Mauricio Robert, gynecologist and obstetrician at Clínica Sta. Rita “

I AM in favor. From the point of view of a doctor, we’re very interested in the opening of the insurance market. We believe the monopoly of the National Insurance Institute (INS) has created an obstacle for us. It’s tedious and bureaucratic.

Other companies will create additional options that will force INS to compete. This will benefit doctors and patients.”

Carla Uritecho, computer systems engineer

“THE opening of telecommunications services could help the country develop. However, the issue of health care [stricter enforcement of intellectual property rights for patented drugs] could be very detrimental. In insurance, I think competition is good. Right now, we have a closed and bureaucratic market. The situation with vegetables [gradual liberalization] is not a problem either. This will benefit the consumer. But the problem of access to medications worries me. Right now we buy generic drugs, which are cheap and effective. After it’s approved we might end up paying more for medicines.”

Secretary Norma Chacón (left) and her sister Mildred Chacón, a retired secretary

Mildred: “The government says it will create many jobs, but that’s what the government says. I feel the country’s population is not informed.”

Norma: “The people who know about the issue say it’s bad. This leaves me with doubts. Opening [the insurance and telecommunications markets] – I’m not really sure how it can benefit us.

Mildred: “They need to explain it, so people know what it’s about. There’s something hidden and secret about it. We have the right to find out what it’s about. I wonder if it will be good for the country.”

Norma: “Like I said, I can’t help but wonder why all these people that know about the issue are against it. Even if people complain, the decision to approve the treaty has already been taken. It’s like what happened with the Costa Rican Electricity and Telecom Institute (ICE) Combo.”

Esteban Vega, ninth grade student, MaristaHigh School in Alajuela

“MORE than a treaty, it’s pressure from the United States. Costa Rica won’t sign it because it wanted to, but because the United States wants it to. It will benefit me because the price of many products will drop because of competition. Everything will be more competitive, so people will have to be better prepared when they look for jobs. We’ll have to be prepared for what comes.

More job opportunities will be created. But those opportunities won’t be within everyone’s reach.”

COSTA Rica exported $151 million in flowers and ornamental plants during 2003 – 3% more than in 2002. The sector is now responsible for nearly 40% of the country’s non-traditional agricultural exports (excluding bananas, coffee, pineapples, and sugar), according to the Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER).

The European Union, which last year bought 52% of the country’s exports, is the largest buyer of Costa Rican plants. North America was second with 42%, and Asia third with 4%.

Costa Rica is home to 273 firms involved in the flower and plant export business. According to PROCOMER, the largest buyers of these products are the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Canada and the United States.

The country exports $66.5 million in plants, $55.3 million in foliage and $28.9 in flowers. Costa Rica imports approximately $9 million a year in bulbs and dormant tubers used to grow plants.

According to Bart de Lange, president of the Association of Costa Rican Flower Farmers (ACOFLOR), 90% of the country’s flower exports are sold to the United States. In 2003, the country exported roses, lilies, chrysanthemums and mixed bouquets, among others. Tropical flowers such as heliconias, ginger and foliage are popular in Europe, he said.

The country also exports geraniums, impatiens, mint, medical plants and ornamental plants.

“We’ve seen important growth since 2002,” de Lange explained. “There are factors that have benefited us, such as the experience in production and marketing and the improvement of the U.S economy.

COSTA Rican banana exports grew 12% in 2003, totaling 99.6 million crates weighing 40.6 pounds (18.4 kilograms) and generating $527 million in revenues, according to the National Banana Corporation (CORBANA).

During 2002, the country exported 89.4 million crates, which generated $465 million.

Last year’s increase was the result of improved climate conditions, according to CORBANA. During 2003, the sector was finally able to recover after facing two straight years of heavy rains and flooding that damaged crops in the eastern province of Limón, which is home to the majority of the country’s banana plantations.

Costa Rica remains the world’s second-largest exporter of bananas, trailing Ecuador, which last year exported 216.2 million crates. The country is followed closely by the Philippines, which exported 94 million crates.

According to the Foreign Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER), banana exports constituted 8.85% of total Costa Rican exports in 2003. Bananas are the country’s largest agricultural export, followed by pineapples and coffee.

A new report issued by the United Nations’ Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL) called Costa Rica one of the countries with the greatest advances in electrical production inthe region.

The advances are attributed to longterm planning and the constant construction of new power plants throughout the country, according to the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE).

According to the CEPAL report, since the end of the 1980s, the region’s energy providers have faced serious deficiencies. However, Costa Rica has continued to improve in terms of quality of service and total coverage.

At the start of the 1990s, Guatemala and Honduras had electrification rates of 33% and 38%, respectively. Nicaragua, Panama and El Salvador’s electrification rates ranged from 47% and 59%. Costa Rica, on the other hand, had a 90% electrification rate.

Today, Costa Rica’s electrical grid reaches 97% of the country’s homes. Costa Rica was highlighted as an example in terms of electrical generation using renewable resources. The National Electrical System (SEN), which includes ICE, the National Power and Light Company (CNFL), regional public services companies and privately run electricity production cooperatives, currently produces 98% of its electricity using renewable resources, according to ICE.

The country was also congratulated for being self-sufficient in its electricity production as well as for being an innovator in the use of new technologies. Costa Rica is the region’s leader in the use of wind power. As of December 2003, the country’s wind power plants produced 62.25 megawatts of electricity, roughly 3.5% of the country’s total electrical output.

Costa Rica, which sells its electricity at cost, is the country with the lowest electricity prices in the region, the report stated.

THE remodeling of JuanSantamaríaInternationalAirport’s cargo terminal began last week. Once completed, the new terminal is expected to make it easier for exporters to transport their products from San José to other countries by air, the daily La República reported.

Given the importance the cargo terminal has for the export sector, Alterra Partners – the private group in charge of remodeling and operating the airport, plans to complete the remodeling by the end of March.

The remodeling of the cargo terminal entails rebuilding 5,120 meters and installing new lighting. The project will cost approximately ¢37 million ($880,000).

REAL Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) authorized by the Superintendence of Securities (SUGEVAL) last December possessed $226 million in assets – a 46% increase in assets over the last year, the daily La Nación reported.

REITs are publicly traded companies that buy and hold various kinds of housing, retail, or commercial projects, and obtain income mainly from renting the properties to companies or individual clients.

REITs work like other public companies – investors buy shares that entitle them to part of the company’s assets, as well as dividends from profits generated (TT, Oct. 3, 2003).

The number of people investing in Costa Rican REITs also grew from 1,690 in 2002 to 2,134 in 2003. The average investment rose from $91,861 to $105,982 in that period.

In Costa Rica, the minimum investment needed to buy shares in REITs ranges between $3,500 and $10,000. Private investment-fund administrators manage REITs.

According to Jaime Ubilla, general manager of Improsa SAFI, the sector is growing rapidly and competition is strong. On average, REITs offer 8% in annual dividends.

Arnoldo Ortíz, marketing manager for Interbolsa, says REITs are a solid investment because they are, for the most part, independent from other investment funds and economic indicators.

AN international team of NASA scientists arrived in Costa Rica Wednesday during the third day of an expedition to unearth archeological secrets in Central America.

The scientists are traveling aboard a DC-8 equipped with the Airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (AirSAR), which can “see” beneath treetops, through thin sand and below dry snow pack. This technology will provide aerial visuals of what lies below the forests of Central America, possibly providing evidence of ancient roads and Pre-Columbian human existence in the region.

In addition to cultural research, the scientists are studying biological diversity in collaboration with the NationalCenter for High Technology (CENAT).

Although the DC-8 is equipped as a flying laboratory, the mission used the National Hanger of Aerotransportation Investigations at JuanSantamaríaAirport as a temporary base for the afternoon.

Welcoming the flight were NASA administrator Sean O’Keefe, Minister of Science and Technology Fernando Gutiérrez, CENAT director Dr. Pedro León, and U.S. Ambassador John Danilovich.

NASA has embarked on the journey in an effort to accurately inventory Central America’s environment and archeology before they are destroyed by current human activity, officials said.

AirSAR is able to detect features such as fortifications, causeways, walls and other evidence of advanced human civilizations not discovered in ground data collection because of difficulties penetrating the forest terrain. This information will be used to understand how humans have interacted with their landscape in the past and present, NASA officials said.

After studying Central America, NASA scientists will go to the ice fields of South America’s Patagonia region and Antarctica to study the effects of climate change.