The Mexican Flu – Mexican Swine Flu Outbreak

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Hundreds of schools around the country are closing in an effort to contain the spread of the swine flu.

The number of closed schools more than doubled overnight to nearly 300 when the Fort Worth Independent School District in Texas announced it was closing its 140 schools, affecting about 80,000 students. High schools sports were suspended in Texas and Alabama.

“We do think it’s very prudent to close schools when a case has been confirmed or is highly suspect,” CDC’s Schuchat told lawmakers Thursday.

Mexico believes that there has been a slow down in the swine flu infection in their country.

Mexican Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordovasaid  new cases have leveled off and the death rate has been nearly flat for several days. He said the next few days would be critical in determining whether the virus was truly on the decline.

The World Health Organization’s top flu official, responding to similarly hopeful remarks from other Mexican officials, sounded a more cautious note about whether the virus had peaked.

“For things to go up and down in a country is expected. If it didn’t do that would be very unusual,” Dr. Keiji Fukuda said in Geneva. “Hopefully we’ll see more of the data of what’s going on there. But I expect even in Mexico you will see a mixed picture.”

Governor Patterson confirmed additional cases of swine flu at a press conference today. Some of the additional cases are located in Nassau County and Suffolk County and are believed to be related to the St Francis Prep school cases.

The governor also mentioned that additional cases were located in other upstate counties.

A worker at the World Bank in Washington DC is suspected of being ill with the swine flu.

The person had been to Mexico on business in April.

The Mexican government increased measures meant to stop the spread of the deadly swine flu.

Most nonessential government services have been shut down.

Supermarkets and hospitals will stay open.

“There is no safer place to protect yourself against catching swine flu than in your house,” Mexican President Felipe Calderon said in a televised address Wednesday night. He praised the “heroic work” of doctors and nurses and brushed aside criticism that his government’s response was slow.

A man who recently returned from Mexico has tested positive for swine flu.

“Yes, we can confirm it,” Jean-Louis Zurcher, a spokesman for the Swiss Federal Health Department, said when asked whether he could confirm that Switzerland had its first case of swine flu.

Health authorities in the Netherlands have reported one confirmed case of swine flu.

A three year old is confirmed as the first Dutch case of swine flu.

Gov. Jay Nixon says Missouri has a probable case of the swine flu.

Nixon announced the suspected case involving a Platte County resident Wednesday evening at a hastily called Capitol news conference. The probable case was discovered earlier Wednesday during lab tests on samples sent to the state health lab.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta will determine if the case is swine flu. Nixon’s office said those tests currently are taking about two days.

The state is not releasing exact numbers, except for 1 person suspected of having the swine flu.

Samples have been sent to the CDC for further testing.

A California man visiting the state of Nebraska may possibly have the swine flu.

The suspected case is a man who came to Nebraska last week from San Diego.

The man visited a doctor in Omaha last Sunday when he began suffering symptoms of the flu.

Douglas County officials said the man is in isolation right now in Eastern Nebraska.

He has had contact with fewer than 10 people in the state since he has been here. None of them have gotten sick.