MEXICO CITY - MEXICO voiced hope on Friday it might be getting control of an outbreak of a new flu strain that has killed up to 176 people there, shut down large parts of the country and raised fears of a global epidemic.
The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said Mexico's outbreak of the new H1N1 swine flu virus may not be as severe as it looked at first, citing many mild cases that were not immediately noticed.
MEXICO WINDS DOWN
Much of Mexico shut down until next Wednesday to help battle the outbreak.
Many government offices, car plants, factories and offices are letting employees stay home on a presidential order, extending a long weekend that starts with a public holiday on Friday.
MEXICO CITY - AUTHORITIES at Mexico City's international airport said Friday they have installed 10 heat-imaging cameras to catch any departing or arriving passengers with flu symptoms.
Those passing through the facility were also first being asked to feel out a health questionnaire, spokesman Victor Mejia said.
Worldwide, 14 countries have confirmed cases. Almost all infections outside Mexico have been mild, and only a handful of patients have required hospital treatment.
In Mexico, many offices and businesses were closed for a five-day break to help slow the spread of the disease. The capital's mayor, Marcelo Ebrard, said emergency campaigns against the virus were bringing results.
'This has led us to a situation where the numbers are getting better every day,' he said. 'I'm not saying we should let our guard down... I'm telling you so you know where we stand.' Mexican public hospitals that treat roughly half the country admitted just 46 patients with severe flu symptoms on Thursday, down from 212 patients on April 20.
The latest countries to report new infections were France, Denmark and Hong Kong - where authorities sealed off a hotel where a 25-year-old Mexican visitor had been staying. He became the first verified case in Asia.
The United States, the country with the largest number of confirmed infections outside Mexico, now has 143 cases across 20 states after two people fell sick in Florida.
The CDC said in a new report on Friday it had confirmed 97 cases and seven out of up to 176 deaths in Mexico blamed on the H1N1 strain. Only one person has died outside Mexico: a toddler from Mexico who travelled to the United States.
US President Barack Obama said he was pleased with progress in fighting the virus.
'I think that those who have been on top of this have done an extraordinary job. I'm optimistic that we're going to be able to manage this effectively but we still have more work to do,' he told reporters after a Cabinet meeting.
A WHO vaccine expert said there was no doubt that it would be possible to make a successful vaccine against the virus in a reasonably short period. -- REUTERS
