May 2, 2009
Mexico Swine Flu Death Toll Rises To 19
Cases On Canadian Pig Farm Raise Concerns; In U.S., Schools Curb Graduation Ceremonies
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Passengers wearing face masks as a precaution against swine flu walk inside a metro station in Mexico City, April 29, 2009. Mexico confirmed its 19th death from the flu, also known as H1N1, Saturday. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
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Pigs are seen on a farm on the outskirts of Xicaltepec in Mexico's Veracruz state, April 27, 2009. Canadian officials said May 2, 2009 that pigs on an Alberta farm have caught the current strain of the disease, also known as H1N1 and passed it to several farm workers there. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini) (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)
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Valerie Watson is applauded by other education majors after receiving her degree at Slippery Rock University in a ceremony held separate from the rest of graduating class, in Slippery Rock, Pa., May 2, 2009. The 22 students were separated because officials feared they might have been exposed to the swine flu during a school trip to Mexico. None of them are sick. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
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Play CBS Video Video CDC Races To Find Vaccine The Centers for Disease Control is trying to find a vaccine for the H1N1 virus. Dr. Jon LaPook reports on their progress and Dr. Jennifer Ashton tells Katie Couric about symptoms of this flu.
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Video Camera Used To 'See' Fever The Flir thermal imaging camera is being used at some airports around the world to detect fever and perhaps the H1N1 virus (swine flu.) Maggie Rodriguez gets a demonstration from Flir Systems.
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Video More Swine Flu In The U.S. All Americans are concerned as the WHO threat level raises and schools close across the country, Bianca Solorzano and Don Teague report.
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Interactive Q&A: Swine Flu And Travel Precautions and advice for those worried about traveling
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Interactive Swine Flu's Impact The latest numbers, photos and information to keep you safe.
The previous confirmed death toll was 16.
Jose Angel Cordova is urging citizens not to let their guard down against a virus that has killed 17 people and is spreading across Asia and Europe. Experts warned the virus could mutate and come back with a vengeance.
Cordova spoke at a news conference Saturday.
Cases outside Mexico suggest the new swine flu strain is weaker than feared. But governments moved quickly anyway to ban flights and prepare quarantine plans.
The swine flu caseload continued to grow elsewhere as well.
Pigs at a farm in Alberta, Canada caught the same swine flu strain that has sickened hundreds of humans around the world, Canadian officials said.
A farmhand who traveled to Mexico and fell ill upon his return apparently infected the pigs with the H1N1 influenza virus, said Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada's chief public health officer.
"So far, basically what we're seeing in the pig is the same strain as we see in the humans," Butler-Jones said.
"The concern is that if it's circulating in a pig herd, that any other humans that come onto the farm might be exposed and be at risk."
This is the first time this swine flu virus has been found in pigs.
The farm worker returned to Canada from Mexico on April 12 and had contact with the pigs two days later. About 220 pigs in the herd of 2,200 began showing signs of the flu on April 24, said the country's top veterinary officer, Dr. Brian Evans of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
All of the pigs are recovering or have recovered and the farm worker has also recovered.
One other farm worker subsequently fell ill. It's not yet known if that person caught the swine flu.
U.S. Schools Curtail Graduation Ceremonies
Just as college graduation season begins, some schools are doing what they can to keep travelers from around the country and beyond from spreading or catching the disease.
Some are making contingency plans and digging up preparation protocols, while others are warning sick people to stay home and eliminating touchy traditions. A few have canceled or postponed their most important spring event or even segregated graduates who might have swine flu.
Administrators at Cisco Junior College in central Texas canceled this year's graduation ceremony and will instead mail out diplomas because of fears over swine flu.
"It's a big deal, and now it's not going to happen," said Miranda Smith, who is graduating from Cisco's pre-pharmacy program. "I know a lot of people are really, really frustrated. It's definitely heartbreaking when everybody finds out."
Boston, home to dozens of colleges and universities, began its commencement season Friday with Northeastern University, which decided to forgo the traditional congratulatory handshake between deans and students.
Staff also put small bottles of green hand sanitizer beneath faculty chairs and hid larger bottles behind greenery on the stage. Graduates of the school's health sciences program swabbed their hands with the disinfectant after taking their seats.
Chris Tran, a 23-year-old getting his bachelor's degree in engineering, said nothing was going to stop him - or his family - from celebrating.
"They're going to be here no matter what," Tran said. "I'm the first in my family to graduate. Swine flu is the last thing on their mind."
Northeastern spokeswoman Renata Nyul noted that avoiding a handshake is a simple way to avoid one of the most common methods of contracting the flu. The school didn't consider canceling commencement, which drew 16,000 people.
"The best you can do is really just take all the precautions you can and remind people and help spread the information," Nyul said.
Northeastern also asked those with flu-like symptoms to stay away - a suggestion also made by Dr. Barbara Ferrer, executive director of the city's Public Health Commission. Ferrer also said schools should suggest that people with compromised immune systems also consider not attending commencement ceremonies in the coming weeks.
Other schools have taken much bolder action.
Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania will hold a separate graduation Saturday for 22 students who officials fear might have been exposed to the swine flu during a school trip to Mexico.
The 22 students, all education majors, aren't sick but have been told to limit contact with others.
"To allow them to be exposed to 3,000 to 5,000 people would be an error on our part," university spokesman Karl Schwab said.
Texas State Technical College, West Texas, also postponed Saturday's commencement until August, deciding to eliminate the potential risk of having hundreds of people from across the state travel to the school.
But more universities are putting off making any changes until their commencements draw closer and more is known about the spread of the swine flu.
At the University of Delaware, where at least four confirmed cases and several more probable cases of swine flu were reported by Friday morning, officials had made no changes to their May 30 commencement.
"We're really a month away," noted university spokesman John Brennan.
At Amherst College in western Massachusetts, where at least two students have probable cases of the disease and eight people known to have swine flu are being isolated on campus, administrators said it could be weeks before they make any decisions about their May 24 graduation.
University spokeswoman Caroline J. Hanna said officials have met daily to review new information. They recently canceled weekend parties where people could share food or drinks.
"There are a lot of celebrations, a lot of things we'd like to continue with," she said. But "the health of the campus community and the surrounding community is the most important thing."
For most proud parents, though, the large crowds and stern warnings will do little to stop them from watching their sons and daughters complete an education that started years before.
"When you pay $160,000, you want to watch your kid come and graduate," said Dave Amanti, of Westfield, whose son Nicholas was graduating from Northeastern with a business degree.
CDC: 1/3 Of U.S. Flu Cases Visited Mexico
About a third of the confirmed U.S. cases of swine flu are people who had been to Mexico and likely picked up the infection there, a federal health official said Saturday.
But investigations indicate many cases are getting the illness here, and that it probably still is spreading, said Dr. Anne Schuchat of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In a press briefing, CDC officials said the agency knows of confirmed cases from 21 states.
The CDC's count of 160 confirmed cases released Saturday is believed to already be outdated. Some states can now do their own tests for the swine flu virus and don't have to send samples to the CDC. States have reported about a dozen more cases, bringing the national total to more than 170.
The swine flu cases range in age from 1 to 81, but the majority are people younger than 20, said Schuchat, the CDC's interim deputy director for science and public health. Most U.S. cases have been relatively mild; only 13 people have been hospitalized.
According to reports received from the CDC, World Health Organization, and other
government officials, there are 16 confirmed deaths in Mexico and one in the United States.
As of Saturday there are 176 confirmed cases reported in the U.S.; 443 in Mexico; 56 in Canada; 15 in Spain; 13 in Britain; six in Germany; four in New Zealand; two in Israel, France and South Korea; and one each in Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Hong Kong, Denmark and the Netherlands.
States with confirmed cases include New York (50); Texas (28); California (24);
South Carolina (16); New Jersey (7); Massachusetts (8); Maine (6); Arizona (4); Delaware (4); Wisconsin (3); Indiana (3); Illinois (3); Kansas (2); Colorado (2); Virginia (2); Michigan (2); Florida (2); New Hampshire (1); Utah (1); Iowa (1); Ohio (1); Connecticut (1); Kentucky (1); Missouri (1); Minnesota (1); Nebraska (1); and Nevada (1).
Swine Flu Scare Doesn't Stop Mexico's Drug War
It seemed an odd precaution, given his risky way of life: A man targeted by drug traffickers was wearing a germ-blocking surgical mask when his bullet-riddled body was found.
Even people caught in Mexico's murderous drug war are heeding advice to use face masks as protection against swine flu.
Soldiers and police battling the cartels are also donning masks - and they're putting them on those they arrest, too. Those include Gregorio Sauceda Gamboa, alleged leader of the dreaded Zeta gang of cartel hit men.
The battle against the virus has strangled normal life in Mexico, closing most businesses, government offices and public events. But drug traffickers are evidently not joining the shutdown.
In the past week, more than 28 people have been killed in Mexico's deadliest city, Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas. The police chief of Piedras Negras, across the Rio Grande from Eagle Pass, Texas, was assassinated last weekend as news of the swine flu began to instill a new fear among Mexicans.
Drug violence has killed more than 10,700 people across Mexico since President Felipe Calderon launched his government's offensive against the cartels after taking office in 2006.
In Remembrance Of H1N1
Some churches in the Washington, D.C. area are taking steps to protect against the spread of the swine flu virus.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington and the Baltimore archdiocese are recommending that Communion wine not be served in a common cup. The Arlington diocese also says churches should consider suspending the "Sign of Peace" handshake exchanged during Mass and replacing it with a bow or other gesture.
The Washington archdiocese is recommending that churches have hand sanitizer available for those who distribute Communion wafers and wine.
Meanwhile, the Episcopal Diocese of Washington is leaving the decision of whether to use a common Communion cup up to individual parishes. The diocese has distributed a study that suggests drinking from a common cup is less risky than airborne infection.
Idaho School Bars Soap
Parents in Jerome, Ida., are blasting administrators at Jerome Middle School who removed soap from a boys' bathroom following vandalism even though hand washing is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of disease.
Parents say the soap ban is especially worrisome considering the continued spread of swine flu in the nation.
"It's a huge deal," April Jarvis, a parent of a seventh-grader, told The Times-News. "Had I known there was no soap I wouldn't have sent him to school."
Jarvis said the school's solution created a health risk.
"This punishment is worse," she said. "It's not taking care of the problem and creates a bigger problem. Everyone gets sick."
Iinvestigator Dan Kriz said school administrators told him they removed the soap after students emptied dispensers onto the floor.
"I said 'What about putting in bar soap?"' Kriz said. "But apparently that hasn't happened."
The Idaho State Department of Education says lavatories are required to offer soap.
H1N1 Briefs:
2009 H1N1 Flu Outbreak Map:
This is a map depicting confirmed and suspected cases of the 2009 H1N1 outbreak, with contributors from all over the world, from a variety of backgrounds including health, journalism, technology.
View 2009 H1N1 Flu Outbreak Map in a larger map
© MMIX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Add a Comment See all 39 Comments
- Just wait to this Fall when they tell us we need to spend $100-billion for vaccines that will only be good for one year at most!
Between Big Agriculture (corn syrup, trans fats and deadly polyunsaturated oil), Big Defense (where's the next war gonna be?) and Big Medicine (can u say swine flu vaccine?) this country and its "news" is simply bought and sold like any other commodity. No conspiracy theory, just big money. - Reply to this comment
- Do they really think we wouldn't notice that the death toll rose to 19 when they previously said 149? You would think they would discuss the difference.
- Reply to this comment
- I've seen the death toll supposedly be from 60 to over 100 in the news. Now it is below 20? what is the deal? I know the BBC reported over 100 deaths a few days ago.
- Reply to this comment
- No known cases of people getting nauseated from hearing about swine flue. However, many have reported getting nauseated from hearing about and seeing too much of the new president each day.
- Reply to this comment
- This is ridiculous to be discussing this crisis when the Somali pirates are still ruining the world
That was April's crisis-sorry for the distraction,folks. - Reply to this comment
- I feel bad for all the piggies.
In egypt, they slaughtered some 350,000 pigs because of this!
And the farmers, man they have to worry about all the dumb people who think that eating pork gives you swine flu..
There goes the pork bellies commodity trading!
I think I'll go make some baconm..
\ MMMMMMM, MMMMMMMM!!
But boy howdy do those piggies taste GOOD!! - Reply to this comment
- Can you die of nausea from hearing about swine flu panic-hype?
- Reply to this comment
- Hey all you Illegal Aliens...left wing loonies etc. I must go but but have an nice Sunday and may peace be up on you Mexico!
If the Politicians with the Citizens support, decide they must do more for the worlds poor then they must find a way like an Marshall plan for Latin American it is far better to spend the 100,s of Billions the Welfare, Schooling, Law Enforcement, etc. Amnesty will cost this Nation on an Marshall plan for Latin American . What they must not be allowed to do, though flawed logic, false compassion, or by criminal intent is to turn this Nation into a Cesspool of Crime, Corruption, Poverty, and Misery by continuing the open borders policy and Amnesty for the millions of uneducated peons and criminals pouring across our borders. - Reply to this comment
- I'm out of here....
- Reply to this comment
- Hellooooooooo, no answers?
So much for a debate....
I might as well talk to myself.
James, or American_, send me your responses when you are done researching...thanx
LOL - Reply to this comment
- Jamesc, since you write very similar to American_11-2009, is it correct to assume you and American_11-2009, are the same person?
- Reply to this comment
- James: Are you familiar with the 14th amendment?
- Reply to this comment
- "Unfortunately, illegal mexicans can have kids by the dozen and the children become
citizens automatically. We need to change the laws so this does not happen. This nation
is awash in uneducated peons as it is ..... "
Are you insane? You want to change the constitution so it will appease your bigotry and create a subdivision of citizenship?
Outrageous. - Reply to this comment
- American_11-2009: If cut-&-paste from a website is your idea of presenting your arguments, I might as well talk to a wall.
Be original dude, rely on your knowledge, although racist as might be.
Don't hide behind useless information.
Bring me facts, statistics... - Reply to this comment
- cont....
It is an interesting law -- and one that should cause us all to ask, Why is our great southern neighbor pushing us to water down our own immigration laws and policies, when its own immigration restrictions are the toughest on the continent? If a felony is a
crime punishable by more than one year in prison, then Mexican law makes it a felony to be an illegal alien in Mexico.
If the United States adopted such statutes, Mexico no doubt would denounce it as a manifestation of American racism and bigotry.
We looked at the immigration provisions of the Mexican constitution. [1] Now let's look at Mexico's main immigration law.
Mexico welcomes only foreigners who will be useful to Mexican society:
* Foreigners are admitted into Mexico "according to their possibilities of contributing to national progress." (Article 32)
* Immigration officials must "ensure" that "immigrants will be useful elements for the country and that they have the necessary funds for their sustenance" and for their dependents. (Article 34)
* Foreigners may be barred from the country if their presence upsets "the equilibrium of the national demographics," when foreigners are deemed detrimental to "economic or national interests," when they do not behave like good citizens in their own country, when they have broken Mexican laws, and when "they are not found to be physically or mentally healthy." (Article 37)
* The Secretary of Governance may "suspend or prohibit the admission of foreigners when he determines it to be in the national interest." (Article 38)
Mexican authorities must keep track of every single person in the country:
* Federal, local and municipal police must cooperate with federal immigration authorities upon request, i.e., to assist in the arrests of illegal immigrants. (Article 73)
* A National Population Registry keeps track of "every single individual who comprises the population of the country," and verifies each individual's identity. (Articles 85 and 86)
* A national Catalog of Foreigners tracks foreign tourists and immigrants (Article 87), and assigns each individual with a unique tracking number (Article 91).
Foreigners with fake papers, or who enter the country under false pretenses, may be imprisoned:
* Foreigners with fake immigration papers may be fined or imprisoned. (Article 116)
* Foreigners who sign government documents "with a signature that is false or different from that which he normally uses" are subject to fine and imprisonment. (Article 116)
Foreigners who fail to obey the rules will be fined, deported, and/or imprisoned as felons:
* Foreigners who fail to obey a deportation order are to be punished. (Article 117)
* Foreigners who are deported from Mexico and attempt to re-enter the country without authorization can be imprisoned for up to 10 years. (Article 118)
* Foreigners who violate the terms of their visa may be sentenced to up to six years in prison (Articles 119, 120 and 121). Foreigners who misrepresent the terms of their visa while in Mexico -- such as working without a permit -- can also be imprisoned.
Under Mexican law, illegal immigration is a felony. The General Law on Population says,
* "A penalty of up to two years in prison and a fine of three hundred to five thousand pesos will be imposed on the foreigner who enters the country illegally." (Article 123)
* Foreigners with legal immigration problems may be deported from Mexico instead of being imprisoned. (Article 125)
* Foreigners who "attempt against national sovereignty or security" will be deported. (Article 126)
Mexicans who help illegal aliens enter the country are themselves considered criminals under the law:
* A Mexican who marries a foreigner with the sole objective of helping the foreigner live in the country is subject to up to five years in prison. (Article 127)
* Shipping and airline companies that bring undocumented foreigners into Mexico will be fined. (Article 132)
All of the above runs contrary to what Mexican leaders are demanding of the United States. The stark contrast between Mexico's immigration practices versus its American immigration preachings is telling. It gives a clear picture of the Mexican government's agenda: to have a one-way immigration relationship with the United States.
Let's call Mexico's bluff on its unwarranted interference in U.S. immigration policy. Let's propose, just to make a point, that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) member nations standardize their immigration laws by using Mexico's own law as a model. - Reply to this comment
- "Thank them for sending millions of Criminals and their uneducated peons to American to prey on its citizens and soak up Billions in Welfare paid for by American tax payers. "
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Wow, according to this useless rambling, you would think all the criminals were let off prison, so they could come to take advantage of the welfare system.
I guess American_11-2009 forgot to mention, that in order to get welfare, you have to verify your immigration status. - Reply to this comment
- Does any of the open Borders crowd know the different s between Illegal Immigration & Legal Immigration? Also if it is ok to be invaded from the South then it should be ok to be invaded from any Nation or race in the world. There are 100,s of millions probably billions from Africa, India, China, etc. that would like the same right as Latinos to Invade this Nation, have the tax payers pay their Medical bills, Educate their Children in their own language while they break numerous laws and Rape, Rob, Kill thousands of Citizens every year.
Lets adopt Mexico Immigration Laws!
MEXICO,S Immigration LAWS!
Mind you, this is the law of the land in Mexico, the third-world nation that has encouraged millions of it's citizens to invade America.
It is also the same country that threatened to take the U.S. to the UN for building a fence on American soil!
Mexico's Immigration Law:
Let's Try It Here at Home
Reference:
http://www.citizensforaconstitutionalrepublic.com/waller5-8-06.html#top
By J. Michael Waller
Mexico has a radical idea for a rational immigration policy that most Americans would love. However, Mexican officials haven?t been sharing that idea with us as they press for our Congress to adopt the McCain-Kennedy immigration reform bill.
That's too bad, because Mexico, which annually deports more illegal aliens than the United States does, has much to teach us about how it handles the immigration issue. Under Mexican law, it is a felony to be an illegal alien in Mexico.
At a time when the Supreme Court and many politicians seek to bring American law in line with foreign legal norms, it?s noteworthy that nobody has argued that the U.S. look at how Mexico deals with immigration and what it might teach us about how best to solve
our illegal immigration problem. Mexico has a single, streamlined law that ensures that foreign visitors and immigrants are:
* in the country legally;
* have the means to sustain themselves economically;
* not destined to be burdens on society;
* of economic and social benefit to society;
* of good character and have no criminal records; and
* contributors to the general well-being of the nation.
The law also ensures that:
* immigration authorities have a record of each foreign visitor;
* foreign visitors do not violate their visa status;
* foreign visitors are banned from interfering in the country?s internal politics;
* foreign visitors who enter under false pretenses are imprisoned or deported;
* foreign visitors violating the terms of their entry are imprisoned or deported;
* those who aid in illegal immigration will be sent to prison.
Who could disagree with such a law? It makes perfect sense. The Mexican constitution strictly defines the rights of citizens -- and the denial of many fundamental rights to non-citizens, illegal and illegal. Under the constitution, the Ley General de Población, or
General Law on Population, spells out specifically the country's immigration policy. - Reply to this comment
- "We can thank Mexico and the invading horde of Illegal Aliens for millions of defaults on Sub-Prime loans that threw the world in an depression. "
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I see, so according to this, illegal aliens bought majority of the most expensive houses across the US and were in cahoots with Maddoff and other stock brokers to take advantage of the investments. Ridiculous accusation without no arguments to support it, and thus a waste of time.
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- Expatriate: Hey brother, trying to carry a conversation with American_11-2009. is almost like talking to talking to the wind.
The dude is like a Neo Nazi recorder.
All of his ramblings are the same, and he doesn't have no factual evidence to support his claims.
Saludos - Reply to this comment
- Before you fools start blaming Mexico for originating Swine Flu, please read this CDC case back in 2005.
http://www.cdc.gov/EID/content/14/9/1470.htm
It is hitting Mexico pretty hard, but the virus is hardly something new.
I know most of you Mexico bashers find it easier just to write ridiculous accusations without any factual arguments.
So please do yourself some research.
It's the logical thing to do. - Reply to this comment
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