news: 01/05/09

This morning Mexico's top medical officer stated that new cases and the death rate continue to be leveling off throughout the country. Health authorities said they have confirmed 300 swine flu cases and 12 deaths due to the virus. "The fact that we have a stabilization in the daily numbers, even a drop, makes us optimistic," Mexican Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova said. "Because what we'd expect is geometric or exponential growth. And that hasn't been the situation."
Here is the link to today's updated information from the CDC (Center for Disease Control): http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentSwineFluMexico.aspx

The link to the WHO (World Health Organization page is: http://www.who.int/en/

Please note that the top of today's WHO web page says the following: "No rationale for travel restrictions. 1 May 2009 -- WHO is not recommending travel restrictions related to the outbreak of the Influenza A(H1N1) virus. Limiting travel and imposing travel restrictions would have very little effect on stopping the virus from spreading, but would be highly disruptive to the global community." For the full story, see http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/guidance/public_health/travel_advice/en/index.html
As was ocurring in other airports, the Mexico City airport has also implemented health measures, including testing passengers before boarding planes. All passengers must also complete a very simple survey that requires their name, age, gender, address, telephone numbers, origin of flight, and desitnation. In addition, passengers have to check YES or NO as to whether or not they have had any of the following symptoms in the past 2 days:
Fever higher than 39 degrees C
cough
Headache
Limb pain
Joint pain
Eye redness
Nasal flux