New Swine Flu Outbreak in Mexico

Added by David Sandercock on March 28, 2011

Four people in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, along the country’s border with the U.S., have recently died following a new outbreak of swine flu, Mexican officials say.

As a result, the state of Chihuahua has announced preventative health measures in an attempt at stopping the virus from spreading.

Javier Gonzalez, Chihuahua’s deputy secretary of education, culture and sport said “School checks will be implemented following a renewed outbreak of H1N1 human influenza, as a means of protecting all students from possible infection.”

The announcement comes as authorities discovered a fresh outbreak of the virus after four people in the state died in the last week alone.

Health officials have launched a vaccination campaign and a number of outreach programmes to further inform the population about preventative measures.

Venezuela has also reported an H1N1 outbreak. There, authorities last week reported that 85 people had recently contracted the virus. Three people have died as a result this year.

The swine flu virus, so called because it was first discovered in pigs, was first identified in Mexico, where the first H1N1 alert was raised in April 2009. According to the World Health Organization, the virus has killed some 18,500 people since then.