Swine flu scare: Spanish man locked in prisoners' ward

Special Report: World Tackles A/H1N1 Flu 

BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhuanet) -- A Spaniard suspected of having swine flu was quarantined in a prisoners ward after the doctor learned he was on a holiday in Mexico.

The man had gone to the hospital to complain of a
rash. He was confined for three days and warned that if he tried to leave he
could face legal action under rules to control epidemics, Spanish newspaper El
Pais said, quoting the man.

The rules came into effect in Spain in response to a
flu virus that has killed 26 people in Mexico.

The man was referred to Madrid's Carlos III hospital
immediately after the doctor learned the man had been to Mexico. The staff in
Carlos III hospital were so afraid of the virus that they instructed the patient
on how to take his own temperature from behind a window.

"It took me two days to learn how to read the mercury
thermometer. They'd tell me over the telephone 'Turn it that way and you'll be
able to see it,'" the man said.

The man said he suffered because of the heating in
his room, which had the windows permanently locked.

"I thought it was because of infection, because they
were afraid the virus might get out through the window, but it turned out that I
was in a ward reserved for prisoners and mental patients," he told El Pais.

(Agencies)

UN chief urges joint global response as flu cases continue to rise

Special Report: World Tackles A/H1N1 Flu 

BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General BanKi-moon has called for "a collective global response" as the number of the A/H1N1 infections continues to rise mildly across the world.

"So far we have been fortunate that its (H1N1 flu) consequence has been relatively mild -- we have learnt valuable lessons," Ban told his monthly press conference in New York Tuesday.

"This outbreak is yet another reminder that we live in an inter-connected world. A threat to one country is a threat to all, requiring a collective global response," he said.

According to the latest official figures, 1,883 infections have been confirmed worldwide.

World Health Organization (WHO) Assistant Director-General Keiji Fukuda said Tuesday that the disease was still spreading, but there was still no evidence showing the new flu virus causing community-level transmission in regions outside North America.

"We do not feel we are seeing that right now," Fukuda told a news briefing, adding that most cases in Spain and other European countries were related to travel.

However, England's chief medical officer Liam Donaldson said it is "too early" to assume the A/H1N1 flu outbreak is "a mild infection." England reported later Tuesday a new case of A/H1N1 flu, bringing the confirmed total infections in Britain to 28,

Donaldson was quoted by the BBC as warning against complacency because flu viruses could change character "very rapidly," even though no one in Britain has died so far from the new flu.

On Tuesday, the U.S. state of Texas reported the second human A/H1N1 flu death in the state, which is also the second death in the United States which now has 651 confirmed infections.

Few details have been released but the state's health department said in a brief statement that a woman, who died from the disease earlier this week, was a Texas resident living in Cameron County, along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The woman had chronic underlying health conditions, the statement said.

A Mexican toddler who was visiting relatives died from the disease last week in Houston.

Meanwhile, at least 16 patients have been discharged from hospital in Mexico after they recovered from the A/H1N1 epidemic, Mexican officials said Tuesday

"What we have achieved in a week of unprecedented action is to reduce the speed at which virus can spread and avoid deaths," said Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon.

Twenty-nine people have been killed by the A/H1N1 flu virus in Mexico. The epicenter of the outbreak has now 942 confirmed infections.

Mexico closed educational institutions last week, effectively sending home 33 million people. These institutions will reopen in stages, starting with higher education institutions on Wednesday. Nurseries and primary schools will be the last to reopen on Monday.

Canada on Tuesday added 25 mild cases of the A/H1N1 flu virus infections, bringing the total to 165, according to figures revealed by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Health officials said the country's only serious case, a young girl in Alberta province is "recovering well" and is now breathing on her own. All other cases in Canada have been mild, with most patients having recovered.

The Spanish Health Ministry on Tuesday confirmed 16 new cases of influenza A/H1N1, lifting the total to 73.

The number of probable cases has lowered to 56 from 63, the ministry said, adding that all the confirmed cases except five had traveled to Mexico.

Other confirmed A/H1N1 infections include nine in Germany; six in New Zealand; five in Italy; four in Israel and France; two each in El Salvador and South Korea; one each in Austria, Costa Rica, Colombia, Denmark, Hong Kong (China), Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal and Switzerland.

WHO praises Mexico's response to H1N1 flu

Special Report: World Tackles A/H1N1 Flu 

MEXICO CITY, May 5 (Xinhua) -- The World Health
Organization (WHO) Tuesday praised Mexico's professionalism, responsibility and
transparency in handling the A/H1N1 flu outbreak.

People wear surgical masks in Mexico
city, May 3, 2009. Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos
late Sunday raised the death toll of the A/H1N1 flu to 22 and the number
of infected cases to 568 in the country. (Xinhua/AFP
Photo)
Photo
Gallery

The experience of Mexico would be essential for the
international community, said Philippe Lamy, WHO representative in Mexico, when
meeting with Mexican President Felipe Calderon.

Calderon expressed gratitude for the "exceptional
work" of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Canadian
government in their coordination with Mexico in curbing the epidemic.

Lamy and Calderon stressed the importance of
information exchanges in further understanding of the A/H1N1 flu strain's
features and its evolution.

They also discussed measures to further cooperation
with other countries in the region to curb the spread of the virus.

Mexico said on Monday that the impact of the epidemic
appears to be waning and the Latin American country can gradually get back to
normal.

The virus has killed 29 people and confirmed cases
have risen to 913, according to Mexico's latest official figures.

Emergency flight ferries 17 more Peruvians back home from flu-hit Mexico

Special Report: World Tackles A/H1N1 Flu 

LIMA, May 5 (Xinhua) -- A second emergency flight from Mexico arrived here on Tuesday, with 17 Peruvian citizens aboard who were fleeing the deadly new A/H1N1 flu strain.

After getting off the plane, the passengers were immediately taken to a room to be checked for H1N1 flu-like symptoms, including breathing difficulties, headaches, muscular pain and sharply higher temperature.

On April 28, Peru suspended flights to and from Mexico in an effort to prevent the spread of the H1N1 flu virus, which has caused 29 confirmed deaths in Mexico.

Peru's Transport and Communications Ministry only allows a limited number of Mexico-Peru flights aiming to protect the health of Peruvians in Mexico who wish to return home.

Latest developments on A/H1N1 flu worldwide

Special Report: World Tackles A/H1N1 Flu 

BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) -- The following are the latest developments of A/H1N1 flu outbreaks worldwide on Wednesday, according to the World Health Organization and government data.

Confirmed deaths worldwide: 31. Twenty nine in Mexico and two in the United States.

Confirmed sickened worldwide: 1,883. Some 942 in Mexico; 651 in U.S.; 165 in Canada; 57 in Spain; 27 in Britain; nine in Germany; six in New Zealand; five in Italy; four in Israel and France; two each in El Salvador and South Korea; one each in Austria, Costa Rica, Colombia, Denmark, China's Hong Kong, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal and Switzerland.

Guatemala reports first confirmed A/H1N1 flu case

Special Report: World Tackles A/H1N1 Flu 

MEXICO CITY, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Guatemala's Health Ministry on Tuesday reported the nation's first confirmed case of A/H1N1 flu, according to news reaching here from Guatemala City.

"The first case of A/H1N1 flu virus has been confirmed, according to the report sent to us by the Centre for Disease Control (CDC), which is located in the U.S. city of Atlanta," the Ministry said on its web site.

The patient is an 11-year-old girl, who has been in treatment for four days and has not been sick enough to be hospitalized, the nation's health minister Celso Cerezo told media there.

The girl's two sisters have tested negative for the virus, which causes breathing difficulties, headaches, muscular pains and sharp increases in temperature.

Cerezo said that the girls' family had recently visited Mexico and said that samples from her parents were currently being studied in the CDC.

Cerezo placed Guatemala on orange alert, which means hospital staffs will have to use facemasks and gloves when they deal with the public and stricter border controls will be applied at international ports and airports.

However, the Guatemala government has not yet ordered the closure of schools, restaurants and places where people gather in large numbers.

The new strain of flu has killed 29 and infected 913 people in Mexico. Over 1,700 people were sickened all over the world. Only two deaths have been registered outside Mexico, both in the United States.

Recovered A/H1N1 flu patients discharged from hospital in Mexico

Special Report: World Tackles A/H1N1 Flu 

MEXICO CITY, May 5 (Xinhua) -- At least 16 A/H1N1 flu patients have been discharged from hospital in Mexico after they recovered from the epidemic, Mexican officials said on Tuesday.

"What we have achieves in a week of unprecedented action is to reduce the speed at which virus can spread and avoid deaths," Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon told media.

Twenty nine people have died with symptoms consistent with the flu including breathing difficulties, but only five have been confirmed killed by A/H1N1 flu virus.

Some 913 people are infected with the flu as 68 of them are currently being treated in health centers in Mexico.

The nation closed educational institutions last week, effectively sending home 33 million people. These institutions will reopen in stages, starting with higher education institutions on Wednesday. Nurseries and primary schools will be the last to reopen on Monday.

Spanish Health Ministry confirms 16 new cases of A/H1N1 flu

Special Report: World Tackles A/H1N1 Flu 

MADRID, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Health Ministry on Tuesday confirmed 16 new cases of influenza A/H1N1, bringing the total to 73.

The number of probable cases has lowered to 56 from 63, the Ministry said, adding that all the confirmed cases except five had traveled to Mexico.

Currently, the regions of Catalonia has 21 confirmed cases, Andalucia and Valencia 19 each, Castilla-La Mancha five, Madrid four, while Aragon, Extremadura, Galicia, Murica and Basque each has one.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the confirmed cases have risen to 1,490 in 21 countries and the number of the deaths to 30, with 29 in Mexico with one in the United States.

S Korea sends $500,000 in aid to flu-hit Mexico

Special Report: World Tackles A/H1N1 Flu 

MEXICO CITY, May 5 (Xinhua) -- South Korea on Tuesday formally presented the Mexican government with 500,000 U.S. dollars worth of aid to help the country fight A/H1N1 flu, Mexican media reported.

The shipments includes facemasks, thermometers, latex gloves and refrigerators for blood samples that will be delivered to Mexico on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively, South Korea's ambassador to Mexico, Whan-Bok Cho said.

Also on the list are liquid soaps, disposable diapers, sponges impregnated with alcohol, disposable medical smokes and other sterile disposable clothing.

Cho said that the international community should show recognition, appreciation and support for the great efforts made by Mexico to fight the flu crisis.

Latest official figures show that the A/H1N1 flu has infected 913 people and killed 29 in Mexico.

The ambassador said that Mexico has taken the right decisions and its people have confidence in the government's ability to control and overcome the health emergency.

"We are sure the Mexican government has taken the correct and effective decisions, which have already given rise to positive results," Cho said, adding that his country is ready to continue helping Mexico.

He also reiterated the solidarity of the South Korean government and people.

Lourdes Aranda, Mexico's deputy Foreign Minister, responded that the donation sends a valued message showing South Korea's friendship with Mexico, which is appreciated more than ever during tough times.

A/H1N1 flu death toll rises to 29 in Mexico

Special Report:
World Tackles A/H1N1
Flu

MEXICO CITY, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Mexican health ministry announced three more confirmed deaths from A/H1N1 flu late Tuesday, bringing the national death toll to 29.

According to a statement issued by the ministry, the tally of confirmed infected patients is 942. It noted that the epidemic was waning in Mexico as it had peaked last week.

Health authorities were still carrying out tests on another 39 people who were suspected to die from the disease in the past weeks, the statement added.

Restaurants and shops in Mexico will reopen on Wednesday while universities and high schools will resume classes on Thursday.

Gov't: Mexico's tourism hit hard by A/H1N1 flu

Special Report:
World Tackles A/H1N1
Flu

MEXICO CITY, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Mexico's tourism has been hit hard by the
outbreak of the A/H1N1 flu, the Mexican government said Saturday.

The occupancy rate for major tourist sites in Mexico is expected to decline
by 44.8 percent in the coming ten days, Mexican tourism authorities predicted.

Tourism Minister Rodolfo Elizondo told a press conference that a series of
cultural, business and academic activities in Mexico have been canceled,
including the world pediatrics conference which had been expected to draw some
4,000 podiatrists worldwide.

In such resorts as Cancun and the Maya coast, the occupancy rate of hotels,
which should have been flooded with tourists in this season, has decreased to
77.8 percent since April 23 when the government announced urgent anti-flu
measures.

He also confirmed that such countries as Cuba, Canada, Argentina, Ecuador,
Peru and Chile have canceled their flights to Mexico, while the number of U.S.
tourists to Mexico has seen a sharp fall.

The minister asked the country's tourism centers to conduct a precise
analysis of their economic losses caused by the outbreak of A/H1N1 flu, which
was previously reported as swine flu, to workout a remedy.

Mexico's flu death toll rises to 19

Special Report:
World Tackles A/H1N1
Flu


MEXICO CITY, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Mexico's confirmed flu death toll has risen to 19 on Saturday and another 454 people confirmed infected, Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said.

People wear surgical masks in Mexico city, May 3, 2009. Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said on Saturday that until Friday night there have been 1,105 tests to detect the influenza A/H1N1, among which 443 in the country were positive.(Xinhua/AFP Photo)
Photo Gallery

The previous data put the death toll at 16 dead and
443 infected.

The minister urged citizens to remain vigilant and
not to let their guard down against the virus.

Meanwhile, Yonhap reported another probable case of
the A/H1N1 flu in South Korea. But the case needs further confirmation.

According to the World Health Organization and
government data, the confirmed infection cases have reached 777 worldwide,
mainly including 454 in Mexico and 184 in the U.S.

In addition, 16 countries and regions have reported
laboratory confirmed cases with no deaths, including Austria (1), Hong Kong,
China (1), Denmark (1), Netherlands (1), Ireland (1), France (1), Costa Rica
(1), Italy (1), Switzerland (1), South Korea (1), Israel (2), New Zealand (4),
Germany (6), Spain (15), Britain (15) and Canada (85).

China's chartered flight arrives in Mexico to bring back nationals

Special Report: World Tackles A/H1N1 Flu 

MEXICO CITY, May 5 (Xinhua) -- A chartered flight from China arrived early
Tuesday in Mexico City to bring back some 99 nationals stranded in Mexico, the
epicenter of the A/H1N1 flu outbreak.

The aircraft Boeing 777-200 arrived at about 1:50 a.m. (0750 GMT) early
Tuesday at international airport Benito Juarez to lift 79 Chinese citizens
stranded in the capital.

The plane is also scheduled to pick up 20 more Chinese from Tijuana,
northern city on the U.S.-Mexico border, after setting off from the Mexico City.

The plane is expected to return to Shanghai at 10 a.m. Wednesday local time
(0200 GMT), its operator Guangzhou-based China Southern Airlines said.

China sent the chartered flight after an agreement between the two
governments to send chartered flights to each other's countries to lift their
stranded nationals,

The 17-strong crew have been trained on precautions against the flu and
dealing with any health emergencies, the airline told Xinhua.

A quarantine expert from the Ministry of Health and doctors from the
airline would closely monitor the health conditions of the passengers.

If any passengers developed symptoms like fever, all the passengers and
flight crew would probably be quarantined after returning to China, the airline
said.

China suspended direct flights from Mexico to Shanghai since Saturday after
a 25-year-old Mexican man, who arrived in Shanghai Thursday aboard flight
Aeromexico 098, was later diagnosed with A/H1N1 flu in Hong Kong.

The Mexican became Hong Kong's first confirmed case of A/H1N1 infection on
Friday.

China cancels chartered flight to Mexico

GUANGZHOU, May 3 (Xinhua) -- China has cancelled a chartered flight to pick up 120 or so stranded Chinese citizens in Mexico, flight operator said late Sunday.

China Southern Airlines said normal flight CZ327 has left for Los Angeles Sunday night, but it would not fly to lift the Chinese nationals in Mexico as earlier planned, the center of the influenza A/H1N1 outbreak.

The Guangzhou-based airline added that it was fully prepared for the charter mission, but it was up to the government as to if and when to implement it.

A 25-year-old Mexican man, who arrived in Shanghai Thursday aboard flight Aeromexico 098, was later diagnosed with influenza A/H1N1 in Hong Kong.

The Mexican became Hong Kong's first confirmed case of influenza A/H1N1 infection Friday. It was also the first such casein Asia.

Following the outbreak, the Chinese government suspended flights from Mexico to Shanghai starting Saturday. It said it depends on the flu outbreak situation as when to resume the flights.

China flies in aid as flu dies down in Mexico

Special Report: World Tackles A/H1N1 Flu 

by Alexander Manda

MEXICO CITY, May 4 (Xinhua) -- The second shipment of Chinese anti-flu aid arrived in Mexico early on Monday, when President Felipe Calderon ordered to reopen schools in the coming days.

Also on Monday, Mexico City began a new system of five alerts and placed the current situation in the middle of the scale. Officials also reported a third day without any death linked to the flu, which has now spread to 21 nations.

"So that parents and the education community can... feel secure that children and young people are returning to classes in a secure and healthy environment, I have instructed the public education minister that the return to classes be gradual," Calderon told media.

Institutions of higher learning will reopen on Thursday, while nurseries and primary schools will resume next Monday. The nationwide school closure was probably the most drastic measure implemented to fight the spread of the disease, affecting around a third of the population directly and with knock-on effects on relatives who were forced to stay at home with children.

Calderon also urged citizens to continue with measures designed to fight the disease, and asked parents to cooperate in organizing security and health measures at education institutions attended by their children.

"The coming days and weeks will be crucial so that we will not lower our defenses nor neglect all that has been achieved in these days of enormous social, personal, family and financial efforts by millions and millions of Mexicans," Calderon said.

China's aid shipment, some 70 tons of medical and hygiene equipment including face masks, latex gloves and thermometers, arrived in Mexico City International Airport at 7:04 a.m. local time (1300 GMT) aboard a Southern Airlines flight.

China's ambassador to Mexico Yin Hengmin received the aid at the airport's presidential hangar, together with Rogelio Granguillhome, head of the international cooperation and economic relations department under the Mexican foreign ministry.

Last Wednesday, China pledged 5 million U.S. dollars in aid for Mexico: 4 million in material and 1 million in cash. Monday's flight was the second delivery, after Friday night shipment formally received by the president.

Also on Monday, Mexico City, worst hit by new A/H1N1 flu strain,reported no new death in patients suffering flu-like symptoms, and a net fall in patients with flu in hospitals, to 76 from 84, as 20 people recovered from the disease, and only 12 new patients were hospitalized.

The city also unveiled a new five-stage epidemic alert system and said that current circumstances correspond to an orange alert, in the middle of the scale, and lifted the ban on gatherings.

"The alert system is going to be permanent... because this virus is going to be present in the coming weeks and because it can mutate so we have to be alert," said Mexico City's mayor Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon.

A green alert represents a normal situation, although city authorities must have minimum levels of equipment ready. The other alerts are yellow, orange, red and red-plus, with measures ranging from face masks for only workers that deal with a lot of people, at yellow alert; to the complete closure of the city, with only emergency services allowed on the streets, at red plus alert.

City officials also reported that health centers had received more than 2,800 people showing certain signs of the A/H1N1 flu, which include high fever, breathing difficulties, headaches and muscular pain.

Meanwhile, tourism officials in Baja California Sur, a state which does not have a single confirmed case, on Monday reported a sharp drop in tourist traffic scared off by news of the possible outbreak.

The resort has suffered cancellations that emptied 3,200 hotel rooms, Miroslav Bautista, director of tourism in the town of Los Cabos told media. Bautista said a total of 19 cruise ships had cancelled calls at the port of Cabo San Lucas, which means a decrease of arrivals by 40,000 people.

Thai woman returning from Mexico free of swine flu

Special Report:
World Tackles Swine
Flu


BANGKOK, April 29 (Xinhua) -- A 42-year-old Thai
woman returning from Mexico, who was earlier suspected to have infected with
swine influenza and being quarantined at Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok as
the first suspected swine flu case in Thailand, is free of the deadly swine-flu
strain, senior medical officials at Chulalongkorn Hospital announced Wednesday.

The Thai woman has been admitted to and quarantined at the hospital since Tuesday after having had a fever since April 25, Prof Dr. Yong Phooworawan, Head of the Center of Excellence in Clinical of Virology, Chulalongkorn Hospital, told a press conference Wednesday.

Two laboratory tests conducted on the woman for a possible swine-flu infection showed that she is free from the deadly swine flu, said Dr. Yong.

And, Dr. Yong said based on the laboratory tests: "she is found of having suffered from ordinary human flu."

The Thai woman reported to the hospital that she was in Mexico during April 3-11, and after that she traveled to California and stayed there until April 19, and returned to Thailand, according to the doctor.

In a related development, Thailand's national-level committee in charge of preventing the swine flu outbreak will meet on Wednesday afternoon to discuss precautionary measures to prevent the deadly flu outbreak in the country.

On Tuesday Thailand's weekly cabinet meeting resolved to set up this new committee and appointed Deputy Prime Minister Sanan Kajornprasart as the chairman of the new panel.

The newly-set-up committee will also coordinate with international organizations including the World Health Organization (WTO) to tackle the swine flu outbreaks.

Three more die of swine flu in Mexico City, authorities say measures working

Special
Report: World Tackles Swine
Flu

MEXICO CITY, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Three more people
died in the last 24 hours of swine flu, Mexico City officials told a Tuesday
press conference, adding that local authorities had ordered the closure of more
public places.

The total number of deaths in the city believed to be
related to swine flu is now 25, while 89 people are in hospital with swine-flu
symptoms, said Armando Ahued Ortega, head of the city's health department. He
said that 31 people had been hospitalized on Monday while 14 had been discharged
from hospital.

Passengers wear protective masks as they
ride Mexico's city subway April 28, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters
Photo)
Photo
Gallery

"If
we follow this path, we will be able to halt new infections and reduce deaths
and save those who have been infected with this new virus," said Mexico City
Mayor Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon at the same press conference.

He said that Mexico City now has 320 people believed
to have been infected with swine flu, down from 326 on Monday and 351 on Sunday.
Five people died on Sunday, compared with three on Monday.

The city has been giving out face masks on public
transport, closing public parks and entertainment centers, and urging citizens
with symptoms of the flu -- a sharp increase in body temperature, headaches,
muscular pains and breathing problems -- to visit their nearest medical center
as soon as possible. Those who died had mostly sought medical help only when the
disease was well entrenched.

Workers wearing protective masks wait
for a bakery to open in Mexico City April 28, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters
Photo)
Photo
Gallery

"The medicine available for treating patients is
highly effective during the first 72 hours of infection," said the mayor, adding
that city policies and the collaboration of residents had checked wider
contagion.

City medical centers provided care and advice to more
than 12,000 people who claimed to have flu symptoms on Monday, around half of
whom had some symptoms but the vast majority did not have swine flu.

A passenger takes off his surgical mask
as he leaves the terminal after coming off of a flight from Mexico City at
London's Heathrow Airport in west London April 28, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters
Photo)
Photo
Gallery

The city has ordered all restaurants, bars, cabarets,
dance halls, pool halls, cinemas, theaters, gymnasiums and swimming pools be
closed. The mayor also announced a 150-million-peso fund which will be used to
help families, workers and businesses that have suffered in the outbreak.

In the nation as a whole, swine flu was believed to
have killed 149 people and hospitalized 776 others, according to central
government statistics. Another 1,070 people were treated for the flu, but were
well enough to go home.

Chinese president sends consolatory
message to Mexican leader over swine flu threat

BEIJING, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Hu Jintao
sent a consolatory message Tuesday to his Mexican counterpart Felipe Calderon
after a swine flu outbreak has killed 152 people in the country.

In the message, Hu expressed sincere consolation to
Calderon, the Mexican government and the people on behalf of the Chinese
government, the Chinese people, as well as in his own name. Full story

Three more die of swine flu in Mexico
City, authorities say measures working

MEXICO CITY, April 28 (Xinhua) -- Three more people died
in the last 24 hours of swine flu, Mexico City officials told a Tuesday press
conference, adding that local authorities had ordered the closure of more public
places.

The total number of deaths in the city believed to be
related to swine flu is now 25, while 89 people are in hospital with swine-flu
symptoms, said Armando Ahued Ortega, head of the city's health department. He
said that 31 people had been hospitalized on Monday while 14 had been discharged
from hospital. Full story

U.S. confirmed swine flu cases rise to
64, 5 hospitalized

WASHINGTON, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The number of confirmed
human swine flu cases in the United States has risen to 64, with at least five
patients having been hospitalized, a health official said Tuesday.

"I fully expect we will see deaths from this infection,"
as swine flu cases are investigated, said Richard Besser, acting director of the
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta (CDC). Full story

White House asks for $1.5 bln for
fighting swine flu

WASHINGTON, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The White House asked
Congress to approve 1.5 billion U.S. dollars on Tuesday in a response to the
fast spreading swine flu outbreak that has sickened over 60 in the United
States.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told a press conference
that President Barack Obama raised the request to Congress in a letter "out of
an abundance of caution" in order to "enhance our nation's capability to respond
to the potential spread of this outbreak." Full story

Chinese President Hu calls for
stepped-up efforts to prevent swine flu

BEIJING, April 28 (Xinhua) -- China went on full alert
Tuesday to guard against swine flu, as authorities ordered round-the-clock
monitoring of the deadly virus and suspension of pork imports from Mexico and
the United States.

Chinese President Hu Jintao Tuesday ordered the country to
step up inspection and quarantine measures to prevent swine flu from entering
China and ensure public health and safety. Full story

Health minister: "Probable" swine flu death toll reaches 152 in
Mexico

MEXICO CITY, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Mexican Health Minister
Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos said late Monday that "probable" deaths toll from
swine flu rose to 152 in the country. Full story

U.S. swine flu cases rise to 40, drug
stockpile released

WASHINGTON, April 27 (Xinhua) -- U.S. health officials
said Monday that there are now up to 40 cases of swine flu in five U.S. States
and they had released 25 percent of a federal drugs stockpile to states fighting
swine flu.

Briefing reporters at a news conference in Atlanta on
Monday, Richard Besser, acting director of the CDC, said 20 new cases were
confirmed due entirely to further testing in New York at a school in Queens,
bringing the New York total to 28. Full story

WHO raises pandemic alert level from
Phase 3 to Phase 4

GENEVA, April 27 (Xinhua) -- Amid the rapid spread of
swine flu in some countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday
raised its pandemic alert level from Phase 3 to Phase 4, warning of a
significant increase in the risk of a pandemic.

Following the advice and guidance of an emergency
committee, WHO Director-general Margaret Chan decided to raise the alert level
from the current Phase 3 to Phase 4, a WHO official told the media on a
teleconference. Full story

Swine flu has become "most serious
concerns" of international community, UN chief says

UNITED NATIONS, April 27 (Xinhua) -- The unique strain of
swine influenza suspected of killing nearly 150 people in Mexico and spreading
rapidly to other countries is of "the most serious concern" to the international
community, including the United Nations, UN Secretary-General Ban-Ki moon told
reporters here on Monday.

"We are concerned that this virus could cause a new
influenza pandemic," he said in a statement read to the press here. "It could be
mild, in its effects, or potentially severe." Full story

Report: ROK confirms first swine flu
case

SEOUL, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The Republic of Korea (ROK)
confirmed on Tuesday the first case of human infection of swine influenza, the
Yonhap news agency reported. Full story

China's Health Ministry on high alert
for swine flu

BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) -- China's Ministry of Health
(MOH) is developing a diagnostic reagent for use in testing for swine flu, which
has killed more than 100 people in Mexico, an MOH spokesman said Monday.

Research on a possible vaccine and medication to combat
the deadly virus was also underway, MOH spokesman Mao Qun'an told Xinhua. Full story

Obama's Mexico visit a symbol of warming ties

By Alexander Manda

MEXICO CITY, April 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama's just-concluded visit to Mexico signaled warming ties between the two countries, but issues that have complicated their bilateral relationship remain as thorny, analysts said.

"It was a symbolic visit, and the symbols are important," said Federico Estevez, a political science professor at the Mexican Autonomous Technology Institute.

Obama arrived in Mexico on Thursday for a two-day visit before traveling on to Trinidad and Tobago for the fifth Summit of the Americas.

During Obama's stay in Mexico, the two countries agreed on a new partnership to combat climate change and promote environmentally-friendly forms of energy production, said a statement released by the White House.

Obama and his Mexican counterpart Felipe Calderon also agreed to make joint efforts to fight the rampant drug, cash and arms smuggling along the Mexico-U.S. border.

"Something that President Calderon and myself absolutely recognized is that you can't fight this war with just one hand," Obama told reporters here on Thursday.

"At a time when the Mexican government has so courageously taken on the drug cartels that have plagued both sides of the border, it is absolutely critical that the United States join as a full partner in dealing with this issue," he said.

He also acknowledged the United States shares a responsibility for the violence in Mexico, saying his country must crack down on domestic drug use and the flow of weapons into Mexico.

The United States is the primary source of weapons used in Mexico's drug-related violence, while Mexico is the main hub for drug smuggling to the United States.

There are clear signs of improving ties between the Unite States and Mexico since Obama took office early this year, although nothing substantive was signed or announced during the two-day visit, Estevez said.

"It is interesting that Obama chose Mexico and stayed here (for sometime)," said Raul Feliz, an economist at the Center for Investigation and Teaching in Economics in Mexico City.

"He has shown that Mexico is viewed as a good ally," Feliz said.

FEW CONCRETE ACHIEVEMENTS

Despite signs of improved ties, few concrete achievements were produced during Obama's visit.

Obama did not address Mexico's legislature, Estevez said, noting the visit was practically a "stopover."

Mexican media on Friday grumbled about the visit, which lasted less than 24 hours, saying it had achieved too little. Daily Milenio in an editorial termed the meeting between Obama and Calderon as "so many blah blah blah."

Concrete agreements were tough to ink, said Feliz.

For example, neither of the two leaders in their public remarks addressed the issue of bilateral trade, in which some disputes have cropped up recently.

"I think they agreed not to speak about trade," Feliz said. "The U.S. understands that, after 15 years of waiting, Mexico has the right to take some retaliatory measures."

Mexico recently imposed tariffs on a long list of items imported from the United States after the U.S. congress in March passed laws banning Mexican trucks on U.S. highways.

Feliz said the truck issue would be very difficult to resolve, as Obama's party, the Democrats, is closely linked to unions, including the truck drivers' union that is fiercely opposed to any Mexican competition.

Cross-border gun control was discussed publicly by the two leaders, but that did not necessarily mean any progress, Feliz said.

In Mexico, Obama promised to use existing U.S. laws to stop the flow of weapons to Mexico from the U.S. side. He also said he was urging the U.S. Senate to ratify an inter-American treaty, known as CIFTA, to curb small arms trafficking.

But Estevez of the Mexican Autonomous Technology Institute said that due to domestic opposition, Obama's proposals would face huge obstacles. "The U.S.-Mexican border is going to remain porous for a long time."