WHO Raises Pandemic Threat Alert. Mexico Fingers First Sufferer Living Near Partially American Owned Pig Farm

 Multiple news sites are reporting that a young boy who lived near a massive pig farm in the Mexican state of Veracruz was the first known case of the current infection raging through parts of Mexico who was first taken ill on April 2nd. People living in the neighborhood say that many go to Mexico City from the area for work.  Still it seems that April 2 to April 26 is an extremely short time to infect over 1900 people and kill 149 by pneumonia.  The people living near the hog producer also say the partially American owned farm has polluted their waters and air though owners of the farm have claimed that there is no sickness in their herds or workers and in another report that all their swine are immunized.

Another problem with the start date is that the first American sufferer was taken ill on March 30.  Since that child didn't have contact with pigs, since a spike in generalized 'flu' was known to have struck Mexico in late March and the flu season before that was described as extreme and highly deadly (from info linked in earlier reports on this blog), one has to wonder when this actually emerged and started spreading.  The supposed first known fatality was a 39 year old tax census worker in Oaxaca who died April 13 according to more than one report, which is supposed to explain the rapid spread of the disease (though the epicenter was supposed to be in Mexico City according to the government up to yesterday).   Now the government is reporting there is contagion from the disease in all it's states.

Mexican officials are saying that since the disease is 'unique' you can't blame them though US experts have said any flu has a known characteristics and spreading behavior in earlier reports.

In fact, the report in the LA Times "Mexico tries to focus on source of infection " is the scariest thing I've read since the infection was first identified well, until you read an AP report at the Seattle Times "Swine flu befuddles Mexico sleuths " which  relates that people who try to get to the hospital via ambulance in Mexico are often denied service from frightened medics and then denied treatment without government intervention.  That report also notes that the Mexican government has not begun treating the families of those known to be sick who are most likely to be infected and to spread the disease.

The AP report linked above also notes that the same area from which the 4 year old boy came had problems with a severe flu in early April which might have had it's inception in February illnesses which the government did not test, and which they claim was not swine flu, but regular flu.

That may explain why why WHO raised the pandemic threat level a day early and the US and Europe have advised against travel to Mexico.  This appeared to be the unthinkable just days ago. Ever since a Clinton administration warning in December 1999 about possible attacks on travel venues that lead to a sharp downturn in the travel business, world governments have been wary of damaging it again.

This report also contains information from AP report at Yahoo News "Swine flu's ground zero? Residents say nearby farm ".

tags: mexico  swine flu  who  un  travel warnings  hog farming  

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