MEXICO CITY — A unique strain of swine flu is the suspected killer of dozens of people in Mexico, where authorities closed schools, museums, libraries and theaters in the capital city on Friday to try to contain an outbreak that has spurred concerns of a global flu epidemic.
The worrisome new virus — which combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans in a way researchers have not seen before — also sickened at least eight people in Texas and California, though there have been no deaths in the United States.
"We are very, very concerned,” World Health Organization spokesman Thomas Abraham said. "We have what appears to be a novel virus and it has spread from human to human … It’s all hands on deck at the moment.”
The outbreak caused alarm in Mexico, where more than 1,000 people have been sickened. Residents of the capital donned surgical masks and authorities ordered the most sweeping shutdown of public gathering places in a quarter century.
There is no vaccine that specifically protects against swine flu.
The WHO was convening an expert panel to consider whether to raise the pandemic alert level or issue travel advisories.
Mexican authorities urged people to avoid hospitals unless they had an emergency. They also said people should refrain from customary greetings such as shaking hands. At Mexico City’s international airport, passengers were questioned to try to prevent anyone with flu symptoms from boarding.
by the associated press
The worrisome new virus — which combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans in a way researchers have not seen before — also sickened at least eight people in Texas and California, though there have been no deaths in the United States.
"We are very, very concerned,” World Health Organization spokesman Thomas Abraham said. "We have what appears to be a novel virus and it has spread from human to human … It’s all hands on deck at the moment.”
The outbreak caused alarm in Mexico, where more than 1,000 people have been sickened. Residents of the capital donned surgical masks and authorities ordered the most sweeping shutdown of public gathering places in a quarter century.
There is no vaccine that specifically protects against swine flu.
The WHO was convening an expert panel to consider whether to raise the pandemic alert level or issue travel advisories.
Mexican authorities urged people to avoid hospitals unless they had an emergency. They also said people should refrain from customary greetings such as shaking hands. At Mexico City’s international airport, passengers were questioned to try to prevent anyone with flu symptoms from boarding.
by the associated press
