Sixty Swine Flu Fatalities In Mexico Confirms Pandemic Start
Recombinomics Commentary 13:30
April 24, 2009


A rare outbreak of human swine flu has killed at least 60 people in Mexico and spread to the United States where authorities are on alert, the World Health Organisation said on Friday.

"To date there have been some 800 suspected cases with flu-like illness, with 57 deaths in the Mexico City area," Chaib added.

Twenty four suspected cases and three deaths were also recorded in San Luis Potosi in central Mexico.

The above comment confirm that the swine H1N1 in southwestern United States (see updated map) is the leading edge of a H1N1 pandemic that appears to be centered in Mexico.

These deaths should increase the pandemic phase to 6.

Release of sequences from fatal cases in Mexico would be useful.

WHO plans emergency session over deadly Mexico flu outbreak

World health agency schedules emergency meeting after 60 deaths suspected

The World Health Organization is convening an emergency meeting amid reports on Friday that a deadly outbreak of more than 800 "influenza-like" cases in Mexico is caused by a new strain of swine flu that has potentially crossed into the United States.

Mexican authorities said Friday that samples tested both at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control were positive for swine flu viruses.

Mexico's Public Health Department said tests proved that 16 people had died from the new strain, while 44 other deaths were being investigated for links to the disease.

"We certainly have 60 deaths that we can't be sure are from the same virus, but it is probable," Mexican Health Minister Angel Cordova told MVS radio in Mexico City.

WHO spokesperson Gregory Hartl said the agency needs to determine whether the outbreaks constitute an international public health threat.

Hartl also said 12 of 18 samples taken from victims in Mexico showed the virus had a genetic structure identical to that of the virus found in California earlier this week. But he said the agency needs more information before it changes its pandemic alert level, which currently stands at three on a scale of one to six.

The unusual influenza A H1N1 viruses were first reported earlier this week as U.S. health officials scrambled to deal with the diagnoses of seven people with the never-before-seen strain in Texas and California. The states share a border with Mexico not far from a town where two deaths were reported.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has not confirmed whether the strain in the two states is the same as the strain in Mexico. The agency has scheduled a news conference for 2:30 p.m. ET.
Most Mexico cases occurring in young adults: WHO

Hartl said health officials are dealing with three separate events in Mexico, with most of the 828 cases in and around the capital, Mexico City.

At least 24 cases have been reported in the central region, while four have been reported in the north, Hartl said.

Most of the cases have occurred in healthy young adults, he added.

"Because these cases are not happening in the very old or the very young, which is normal with seasonal influenza, this is an unusual event and a cause for heightened concern," Hartl said in an interview from WHO headquarters in Geneva.

It is also rare to see such high flu activity so late in the season, he said.

"The end of April, especially in a place like Mexico, you would think that we would see quite a steep decline," said Hartl.
All classes cancelled in Mexico City

The Mexican government ordered that all classes in Mexico City and the surrounding state be cancelled on Friday, from pre-schools to universities. It also warned the public to avoid gathering places and major events.

On Thursday, Canadian health officials issued a travel advisory warning travellers who have recently returned from Mexico to be on alert for flu-like symptoms that could be connected to the illness.

Though human H1N1 viruses have been circulating for decades, it is not clear how much protection previous infection with them would confer against a virus made up predominantly of swine flu genes. The virus also has some bird genes and one human gene.

The U.S. cases are also unusual because it appears none of the patients had contact with pigs.

No cases of the swine flu have been found in Canada.

People infected with the virus initially suffer flu-like symptoms that include:

* Fever.
* Cough.
* Sore throat.
* Muscle and joint pain.
* Shortness of breath.

The illness may elevate to a severe respiratory illness within about five days.

In Canada, the travel advisory includes the same advice given to all travellers: Get a flu shot and take precautions such as covering coughs and staying home when sick. But it adds locations in Mexico where cases of a severe respiratory illness have occurred.

The numbers they released calculate to about a 7% death rate. Since it is Mexico, I doubt all the cases or deaths have been properly reported. The CDC says its a previously unknown combo of swine, avian, and human flu virus.. not a good sign.

It is kind of a H1N1 genetic inhanced verson of the Spanish Flu strain. This is the strain that kill 20-50 million in 1918-1919 only more dangerous.

This is either a test run of it or its the real thing. I know they have in the last 45 days, fema has prepared graves (mass graves) for 40,000 people in the Phoniex area. I hope it is not the time for the NWO to start their plan to deinhabit the North and South american continent.

Just what we need on top of all the other nutso stuff going on in the states now.

The White House is closely following the outbreak of a new strain of swine flu in the United States and President Barack Obama has been informed, an administration official said on Friday

MEXICO CITY — Mexico closed its schools across its capital today after at least 16 otherwise healthy people died and more than 900 others fell ill from what could be a new strain of swine flu. The World Health Organization worried that it could mark the start of a flu pandemic.


Scientists in the U.S. and Mexico were trying to determine if the deaths were due to the same new strain of swine flu that sickened seven people in Texas and California.

The World Health Organization counted at least 57 deaths in Mexico, although it wasn't yet clear if this larger number was due to swine flu.

"We are very, very concerned," WHO spokesman Thomas Abraham said. "We have what appears to be a novel virus and it has spread from human to human." If international spread is confirmed, that meets WHO's criteria for raising the pandemic alert level, he added.