Deadly flu threatens Mexico, US
2009-04-25 08:24
Mexico City - Mexican and US health officials searched on Saturday for signs an outbreak of a new flu strain is spreading further, after it killed up to 68 people in
Mexico and infected eight in the United States.
As Mexico shut schools and museums and axed public events,
global health officials stopped short of declaring a pandemic.
But they warned more cases could come to light, making up a
major outbreak, as the flu spreads between people and infected
some individuals who had no contact with one another.
The World Health Organisation said the virus from 12 of the
Mexican patients was the same genetically as a new strain of swine
flu, designated H1N1, seen in eight people in California and Texas
who later recovered.
The Mexican government said the flu had killed 20 people and
it may also be responsible for 48 other deaths. In all, 1 004
suspected cases have been reported nationwide.
Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova, speaking on the evening
television news, encouraged people to avoid crowds and wear face
masks, noting there was no guarantee that going to get a flu
vaccine would help against the new strain.
He said the death rate appeared to have steadied and hospitals
in the past few days had not seen the exponential rise in the
number of people infected that many had feared.
Mix of swine, human and avian viruses
Genetic analysis shows the flu strain is a never-before-seen
mixture of swine, human and avian viruses.
The fact most of the dead were aged between 25 and 45 was seen
as a worrying sign linked to pandemics, as seasonal flu tends to
be more deadly among the elderly and the very young.
"We realise the seriousness of this problem," Mexican
President Felipe Calderon told health officials on Friday.
In California, Dr Gil Chavez, director of the Centre for
Infectious Diseases at the California Department of Public Health
and the state's chief epidemiologist, said many more cases could
come to light as patients are tested. "The more we look the more
we are likely to find," he said.
New York students sick
In New York City, health officials were investigating what had
sickened scores of students who fell ill with flu-like symptoms in
a Queens high school on Thursday and Friday. The symptoms were
reported as mild and a city health official said he could not
speculate about which flu strain was responsible.
The US government said it was taking the situation seriously
and monitoring for any new developments.
As far away as Hong Kong - the epicentre of the 2003 SARS
epidemic and especially vigilant to any threat of infectious
disease - the government's Centre for Health Protection said it
was closely monitoring investigations in the United States and
would analyse flu samples in the territory.
Cordova said Mexico had 1 million doses of antiviral medicine,
easily enough to treat the cases reported so far.
Masks handed out
In Mexico City, a crowded metropolis of 20 million people,
soldiers handed out surgical masks and the government warned
people to avoid close physical contact and sharing food.
Finnish rock band The Rasmus canceled a Mexico City concert
and the Mexican Football Federation said two weekend soccer
matches would be played with no spectators present as a
precaution.
DVD rental stores said customers poured in to rent movies on
Friday night so they could huddle inside for the weekend.
The last flu pandemic was in 1968 when "Hong Kong" flu killed
about a million people globally.