MEXICO CITY - THE rising death toll from the Mexican swine flu epidemic sent a wave of panic around the world on Monday with the United States declaring a public health emergency and other nations ordering border clampdowns.
Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said the number of confirmed and suspected swine flu deaths had hit 103. In the capital, residents donned blue face masks and stocked up on food and water in anticipation of a long lockdown.
Deaths: 86, all in Mexico. 22 confirmed as swine flu, 64 suspected.
Sickened: 1,384 in Mexico, suspected or confirmed; 20 confirmed in US; 10 suspected in New Zealand; 6 confirmed in Canada; 7 suspected in Spain; 1 suspected in France; 1 suspected in Israel.
THE following is the situation in countries worldwide and some of the precautionary steps being taken.
PHILIPPINES: - Philippine health authorities on Monday urged people to avoid hugging and kissing at public gatherings due to worries about a possible global pandemic of the deadly swine flu virus. - There have been no cases reported in the Philippines but since the virus has killed at least 20 people in Mexico and possibly dozens more, authorities worldwide have stepped up health and safety measures.
WASHINGTON - A TOP US health official warned on Monday that a virulent strain of swine flu that has caused more than 100 deaths in Mexico could lead to 'more severe cases' and even deaths in the United States.
'From what we understand in Mexico, I think people need to be ready for the idea that we could see more severe cases in this country and possibly deaths,' Richard Besser, acting head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told ABC television.
Track reports of the swine flu on Google maps here.
RELATED LINKS
President Felipe Calderon called for calm but governments around the world ordered emergency measures to contain suspected cases and stock markets blamed the flu for a new share battering.
China and Thailand joined Russia in banning meat imports from Mexico and the five US states where 20 swine flu cases have been confirmed.
The European Union began organising an emergency meeting of health ministers, and governments put strict security around flights from Mexico, taking any suspected cases into quarantine.
The World Health Organisation has warned that swine flu - apparently born out of a mix of human and avian flu viruses that infected pigs - could become a pandemic and called for all nations to 'intensify surveillance'.
The number of suspected cases in Mexico has reached 1,614, up from 1,324, the health minister said on national television.
President Calderon urged people to join efforts to contain the virus. He said Mexicans had to 'move fast, but to maintain calm and cooperate with the authorities'. Mexico City was deserted after its 20 million residents were ordered to avoid crowds, and a football game Sunday at the 105,000-seat Aztec stadium was played with no fans.
The only confirmed cases outside Mexico are the 20 in the United States and six in Canada. The United States will screen visitors arriving from infected areas, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said, announcing a public health emergency to expedite the testing and treatment of flu cases.
Richard Besser, acting head of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said there were eight confirmed cases in New York City, seven in California, two in Texas, two in Kansas and one in Ohio.
Authorities across the Asia-Pacific region, which has in recent years been at the forefront of the SarS and bird flu epidemics, stepped up checks at airports and urged the public to be on guard for symptoms. - REUTERS
Track reports of the swine flu on Google maps 
