Mexico, DF News (English)

[Guest guest]

Epidemic rattles nation

BY NACHA CATTAN

The News

Mexican and international health officials were racing Friday to determine

the cause and extent of a deadly flu outbreak, expressing concern that the

new viral strain could develop into a pandemic.

The outbreak of a variant of swine flu led federal officials to close Mexico

City-area schools indefinitely - the first such shutdown since the

devastating 1985 earthquake.

They also shuttered museums, discouraged residents to go out in public and

advised citizens against handshakes and customary greeting kisses. At the

city's international airport, passengers were questioned to try to prevent

anyone with flu symptoms from boarding airplanes.

But even as the number of deaths kept rising from the 20 reported earlier

this week, authorities refrained from imposing more drastic measures.

Evidence that the strains were related to infections in California and Texas

did not trigger moves to seal borders or issue travel advisories.

And while surgical masks were a common sight on city streets and some

businesses closed their doors, life went on more or less as usual in the

capital. People filled shopping malls and subway cars, and street life was

still buzzing in many areas.

Meanwhile, health officials were struggling to understand where the virus

came from and how they might contain it. The swine flu has taken a novel

path in passing from human to human and has been attacking young people and

adults who are usually less vulnerable to such viruses, epidemiologists

said.

" This is a highly contagious and potentially deadly virus that could take on

pandemic properties, " Health Secretary José Córdova said at a press

conference.

Córdova said a Eurasian strain of pig flu was responsible for the outbreak,

while international authorities described a genetic combination of pig, bird

and human viruses that also hailed from North America.

Officials announced and then quickly abandoned a vaccination campaign,

saying the medicine is likely not effective against the current strain.

Instead, they were stocking up on the flu medicine Oseltamivir, which they

say has shown positive results.

Córdova said 60 people have died of flu and the new swine flu strain had

been confirmed in 20 of those deaths. At least 1,004 people nationwide were

sick from the suspected flu, he said. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention, or CDC, said it was unsure why the virus was causing so many

deaths in Mexico while all seven U.S. patients had recovered.

Earlier this week officials had struggled to react to the virus, initially

refusing to call it an epidemic. Late Thursday, however, Córdova gave an

address confirming the outbreak as an epidemic and announcing that all

public and private schools in Mexico City and the State of Mexico would

close Friday.

Asked by reporters at a press conference why reaction to the virus did not

take place sooner, after the first deaths were reported in March, health

officials defended their response, saying their timing was indeed swift

considering the circumstances. The Pan-American Health Organization, or

PAHO, which has offices in Mexico and will send aid here, said Mexico is

well-prepared but that it is difficult to detect a unique strain of

influenza as even a regular flu can prove deadly.

" It's not that things went undetected, " said Epstein, information

officer at PAHO. " You just don't always know what the cause is. "

U.S. and Canadian officials announced an outbreak notice to travelers, but

stopped short of telling citizens to avoid Mexico.