Local

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Outbreak paralyzes Mexico City, spreads elsewhere

By: James McCarten

Posted: 04/29/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 0

Enlarge Image

A tourist wears a protective mask in Cancun, Mexico. (ISRAEL LEAL / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Related Items

Articles

AN escalating viral outbreak with pandemic potential continued its slow paralysis of Mexico's once-bustling capital city Tuesday as a growing number of swine-flu cases in the U.S., Canada and elsewhere left the world bracing for the impact of a deepening global public-health crisis.

Nowhere were matters more urgent than in Mexico City, where swimming pools and pool halls were closed, restaurants offered only takeout and officials contemplated severing the city's spinal column: a serpentine subway system that ranks as the seventh-busiest in the world.

But the sense of alarm was mounting elsewhere, as well, as the number of confirmed cases in the U.S., including at least five involving hospitalization, climbed to 68, up from 40 on Monday.

"I fully expect we will see deaths from this infection" as cases are investigated, said Richard Besser, acting director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Canada confirmed seven more cases, bringing its total to 13 -- four in Nova Scotia, four in Ontario, three in B.C. and two in Alberta. All 13 cases were described as mild, but that offered little comfort to officials all too familiar with influenza's notoriously unpredictable nature.

"Anybody who thinks they know what this virus is going to do weeks, months or years from now really doesn't have a clue what they're talking about," said Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.

In New York, where the bulk of the American cases are concentrated, several hundred students had fallen ill at a school already hit by the outbreak after a group of students went on a spring break trip to Mexico, city officials said.

"It is here and it is spreading," New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said of the virus. "We do not know whether it will continue to spread."

Outside of North America, there were 17 other confirmed cases: two in Scotland, 11 in New Zealand, two in Spain and two in Israel.

In Mexico, some 159 deaths have been attributed to the outbreak, which is confirmed or suspected in 2,498 cases of illness. But the toll appeared to be stabilizing, the health secretary said late Tuesday, with only seven more suspected deaths.

So far, swine flu has not been blamed for any deaths outside Mexico, but officials have warned that's almost certain to change. U.S. President Barack Obama asked Congress for $1.5 billion to fight the fast-spreading disease as federal officials suggested the flu may be spreading so fast, there may be no practical way to contain it.

"Based on the pattern of illness we're seeing, we don't think this virus can be contained," Rear Admiral Anne Schuchat, the CDC interim science and public health deputy director, told a Senate health subcommittee.

"We do think we can reduce the impact of its spread, and reduce its impact on health." Still, she warned, not only might the disease get worse, "it might get much worse."

In Mexico City, widely viewed as the epicentre of the outbreak, officials moved to prevent people from getting together in large gatherings -- public facilities like gyms, movie theatres, zoos and museums were ordered to shut their doors. Schools remained closed.

-- The Canadian Press, with files from The Associated Press

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 29, 2009 A4

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Local

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.