.Mexico’s Calderon Declares Emergency Amid Swine Flu Outbreak
April 25 (Bloomberg) -- Mexican President Felipe Calderon declared an emergency in his country’s swine flu outbreak, giving him powers to order quarantines and suspend public events.
Authorities have canceled school at all levels in Mexico City and the state of Mexico until further notice, and the government has shut most public and government activities in the area. The emergency decree, published today in the state gazette, gives the president authority to take more action.
“The federal government under my charge will not hesitate a moment to take all, all the measures necessary to respond with efficiency and opportunity to this respiratory epidemic,” Calderon said today during a speech to inaugurate a hospital in the southern state of Oaxaca.
At least 20 deaths in Mexico from the disease are confirmed, Health Minister Jose Cordova said yesterday. The strain is a variant of H1N1 swine influenza that has also sickened at least eight people in California and Texas. As many as 68 deaths may be attributed to the virus in Mexico, and about 1,000 people in the Mexico City area are showing symptoms of the illness, Cordoba said.
Obama’s Visit
The first case was seen in Mexico on April 13. The outbreak coincided with the President Barack Obama’s trip to Mexico City on April 16. Obama was received at Mexico’s anthropology museum in Mexico City by Felipe Solis, a distinguished archeologist who died the following day from symptoms similar to flu, Reforma newspaper reported. The newspaper didn’t confirm if Solis had swine flu or not.
The Mexican government is distributing breathing masks to curtail the disease’s spread. There is no vaccine against the new strain of swine flu, health authorities said.
Museums, theaters and other venues in the Mexico City area, where large crowds gather, have shut down voluntarily and concerts and other events canceled to help contain the disease. Two professional soccer games will be played tomorrow in different Mexico City stadiums without any fans, El Universal newspaper reported. Catholic masses will be held, the newspaper said, although church officials urged worshipers to wear breath masks and to avoid contact.
Schools will likely remain closed next week, Calderon said in the Oaxaca speech. The decree allows Calderon to regulate transportation, enter any home or building for inspection, order quarantines and assign any task to all federal, state and local authorities as well as health professionals to combat the disease.
“The health of Mexicans is a cause that we’re defending with unity and responsibility,” Calderon said. “I know that although it’s a grave problem, a serious problem, we’re going to overcome it.”
Normal Airport Operations
Mexico City’s international airport, which handles about 70,000 passengers each day, is operating normally, said Victor Mejia, a spokesman. Passengers are given a questionnaire asking if they have flu symptoms and recommending they cancel their trip and see a doctor if they do. The measures are voluntary, Mejia said, and no case of swine flu in airport passengers, workers or visitors has been confirmed.
Authorities throughout Central America have issued alerts to prevent the outbreak from spreading. Guatemala ordered tighter control yesterday of its northern border with Mexico, according to EFE. Gerberth Morales, who’s heading the Guatemala government’s response, said no cases of swine flu have been reported in his country, the Spanish news agency reported.
Brazil is intensifying vigilance in ports, airports and borders to check travelers’ health, luggage, aircrafts and ships in a preventive action against the outbreak in Mexico, the Agency for Sanitary Vigilance said on its Web site.
Bloomberg
A suicide bomber with a bio weapon, that targeted Obama?
Authorities have canceled school at all levels in Mexico City and the state of Mexico until further notice, and the government has shut most public and government activities in the area. The emergency decree, published today in the state gazette, gives the president authority to take more action.
“The federal government under my charge will not hesitate a moment to take all, all the measures necessary to respond with efficiency and opportunity to this respiratory epidemic,” Calderon said today during a speech to inaugurate a hospital in the southern state of Oaxaca.
At least 20 deaths in Mexico from the disease are confirmed, Health Minister Jose Cordova said yesterday. The strain is a variant of H1N1 swine influenza that has also sickened at least eight people in California and Texas. As many as 68 deaths may be attributed to the virus in Mexico, and about 1,000 people in the Mexico City area are showing symptoms of the illness, Cordoba said.
Obama’s Visit
The first case was seen in Mexico on April 13. The outbreak coincided with the President Barack Obama’s trip to Mexico City on April 16. Obama was received at Mexico’s anthropology museum in Mexico City by Felipe Solis, a distinguished archeologist who died the following day from symptoms similar to flu, Reforma newspaper reported. The newspaper didn’t confirm if Solis had swine flu or not.
The Mexican government is distributing breathing masks to curtail the disease’s spread. There is no vaccine against the new strain of swine flu, health authorities said.
Museums, theaters and other venues in the Mexico City area, where large crowds gather, have shut down voluntarily and concerts and other events canceled to help contain the disease. Two professional soccer games will be played tomorrow in different Mexico City stadiums without any fans, El Universal newspaper reported. Catholic masses will be held, the newspaper said, although church officials urged worshipers to wear breath masks and to avoid contact.
Schools will likely remain closed next week, Calderon said in the Oaxaca speech. The decree allows Calderon to regulate transportation, enter any home or building for inspection, order quarantines and assign any task to all federal, state and local authorities as well as health professionals to combat the disease.
“The health of Mexicans is a cause that we’re defending with unity and responsibility,” Calderon said. “I know that although it’s a grave problem, a serious problem, we’re going to overcome it.”
Normal Airport Operations
Mexico City’s international airport, which handles about 70,000 passengers each day, is operating normally, said Victor Mejia, a spokesman. Passengers are given a questionnaire asking if they have flu symptoms and recommending they cancel their trip and see a doctor if they do. The measures are voluntary, Mejia said, and no case of swine flu in airport passengers, workers or visitors has been confirmed.
Authorities throughout Central America have issued alerts to prevent the outbreak from spreading. Guatemala ordered tighter control yesterday of its northern border with Mexico, according to EFE. Gerberth Morales, who’s heading the Guatemala government’s response, said no cases of swine flu have been reported in his country, the Spanish news agency reported.
Brazil is intensifying vigilance in ports, airports and borders to check travelers’ health, luggage, aircrafts and ships in a preventive action against the outbreak in Mexico, the Agency for Sanitary Vigilance said on its Web site.
Bloomberg
A suicide bomber with a bio weapon, that targeted Obama?
posted by madtom at 5:04 PM
11 Comments:
If you want to talk the most credible conspiracy theory--- the bug was planted in Mexico to create a panic here that would make us forget that the government is taking over the financial and manufacturing sectors of the economy---and health care is next!
Even if it wasn't planted-- which is probable-- you can bet your ass it is going to be taken advantage of just as I said. They are fucking up the economy in so many ways it has to be intentional.
Oh so we are only going to consider credible conspiracies.
Come on, what are the chances that out of a few thousand that may be infected, one with a fatal infection would have been meeting Obama? What are the odds?
I bet Obama is on the antibiotics
I said, most credible. My point was that in keeping with the O motto, no crises will go to waste.
Fact is, epidemics happen. We're overdue. What are the odds? How many Mexicans did O come in contact with? Say, 1,000? If you believe Mexico, there are 10,000 cases currently, almost all in Mexico City. So, 1 out of 800 Mexico residents are infected. You meet 1000 of them, adds are there are going to be 1 to 2 of them in the crowd. but, I gotta agree it makes a good conspiracy theory. Wars have started over less.
And remember that AQ just had that little accident at one of their camps where I think 50 died, do we know for sure that it was plague, or was that just the reporting. Did you ever read a follow up that confirmed plague?
Nope, Never read another thing about it. But if the facts of the case are correct, the guy met obama one day and died the very next. If it really is flu, he must have already been feeling like hell and knew he was sick--- or it isn't really the flu. I've never heard of a person getting flu and dying in the course of a day. It's only killing 1 out of 1000, so it isn't a terribly effective weapon if the target is one person.
Would you meet the president with a fever?
Nope, not even this one.
I just read that in fact, in Mexico this flu has shown to be 8% fatal. That's 8 times higher than the flu that killed 10 million early last century. Mexico is going into panic. I hope to hell we are quietly sending troops to the border right now, or at least are making preparations. It may be too late to keep the virus out, but we don't need several million more sick Mexicans in our emergency rooms. I picked up an employee in the Tarrant county (fort worth) emergency room two weeks ago and there were maybe 200 people waiting. If any of them spoke english, they were being quiet. How long is the incubation period? I'm feeling light headed.....
OK, read up some more. this type of flu can kill within 24 hours of infection. It is most lethal for those with the best immune systems. It causes the immune system to kick into overdrive to the point it attacks healthy cells, producing enough lymphatic fluid to essentially drown you. If you are very young or very old, it will likely have little effect.
So it only kills off the healthy! And you said it would make an ineffective weapon.
No, I said it would make an ineffective weapon if your target was ONE individual. 8% chance you kill your target-- not so good. Rendering an entire population helpless? Whole different deal.
Yeah, why target only one. I mean 8% you hit someone in the presidents entourage, for the price of squirting some dirty water on a local museum guy?
Can you imaging though, if the museum is like ground zero. I mean how many people walked through that museum and then got on a plane?
Post a Comment
<< Home