Saturday, February 11, 2012

Deadly new flu strain erupts in Mexico, US

By: Our Staff Reporter | April 25, 2009, 7:10 am |

A new strain of flu has killed up to 68 people in Mexico and spread alarm as far as the United States, where eight people were infected, but health officials stopped short of declaring a pandemic on Friday. The Mexican government said at least 20 people have died of the flu and it may also be responsible for 48 other deaths. Authorities closed schools in the capital, canceled public events and handed out facemasks. U.S. and Mexican officials said they fully expected to find many more cases as the flu was spreading between people and had infected some individuals who had no contact with one another. The World Health Organization said tests showed the virus from 12 of the Mexican patients was the same genetically as a new strain of swine flu, designated H1N1, seen in eight people in California and Texas who later recovered.