WHO chief arrives at Geneva HQ to oversee handling of deadly Mexico swine flu outbreak

May 14th, 2009 MEXICO CITY - The toll in Mexico's swine flu outbreak has risen to 60, Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos said. A total of 2,386 people have been infected with the influenza A(H1N1) virus, also called swine flu.

May 10th, 2009 GENEVA - The number of swine flu infections worldwide has reached 3,440, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said Saturday. The swine flu infections in the US increased to 1,639 Friday, surpassing Mexico's total of 1,364 for the first time.

May 4th, 2009 MEXICO CITY - The Mexican government has said the swine flu outbreak has peaked in the country and is now in decline, with a confirmed human death toll of 22. Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova told reporters Sunday: 'The evolution of the epidemic is now in a phase of decline.' According to the latest data, 22 people have died of swine flu and 578 people have been infected with the virus.

May 1st, 2009 LUXEMBOURG - Health ministers from 27 European Union (EU) nations have failed to reach an agreement on a French call to temporarily ban all EU flights to Mexico in view of the deadly swine flu outbreak in that country. They however stressed on a coordinated approach to fight the swine flu.

April 30th, 2009 BEIJING - The Chinese government has rejected as "groundless" foreign reports labeling the country as the origin of the swine flu outbreak. According to the reports, dead pigs found in Fuqing, Fujian province, might be the source of the outbreak in Mexico, but China's Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) said the pigs died of swine dysentery and dropsy.

April 29th, 2009 Mexico City mayor: 1 more death, toll stabilizingMEXICO CITY — Mexico City's mayor says the swine flu outbreak seems to be stabilizing, with one more death since he spoke last. If the death toll keeps tapering off, he says he will consider easing the citywide shutdown.

April 28th, 2009 WHO: Americans may be transmitting swine fluGENEVA — The World Health Organization says it suspects U.S. swine flu patients may have transmitted the virus to others in the United States.

April 28th, 2009 Swine flu has Caterpillar restrict Mexican travelPEORIA, Ill. — Heavy equipment maker Caterpillar Inc.

April 26th, 2009 World Bank gives aid to Mexico for swine fluWASHINGTON — The World Bank said Sunday that it is providing Mexico with more than $200 million in loans to help it deal with an outbreak of a new strain of swine flu. Mexican health officials say swine flu has killed up to 86 people and probably sickened about 1,400 in the country since April 13.

April 25th, 2009 Mexico may isolate flu patients, inspect homesMEXICO CITY — The Mexican government has issued a special decree clarifying Health Department powers to isolate patients and to inspect homes, incoming travelers and baggage to curb an outbreak of swine flu. Officials say the decree gives clear legal authority to health department workers who might otherwise face lawsuits.

April 25th, 2009 WHO convenes emergency meeting on swine flu crisisGENEVA — The World Health Organization has called an emergency meeting of experts Saturday to consider declaring an international public health emergency over the swine flu outbreak believed to have killed dozens of people in Mexico and sickened at least seven in the U.S. It is the first time the WHO's Director-General Margaret Chan has convened such a crisis panel since the procedure was created almost two years ago, spokesman Gregory Hartl said.

April 25th, 2009 Obama health fine after trip to MexicoWASHINGTON — The White House says President Barack Obama's health is fine a little more than a week after he traveled to Mexico, where an outbreak of swine flu has killed at least 68 people and sickened more than 1,000. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Saturday that "the President’s trip to Mexico has not put his health in any danger." The top international health official says the new swine flu strain that has hit Mexico has "pandemic potential." Obama was in Mexico last week to meet with top government officials and talk about the growing problem with drug smuggling and border violence.

April 25th, 2009 WHO: Mexico swine flu has 'pandemic potential'GENEVA — An outbreak of swine flu in Mexico and the United States is a quickly evolving situation that has "pandemic potential," the head of the World Health Organization said Saturday before an emergency meeting of flu experts. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said the North American outbreak of a never-before-seen virus was a very serious situation.

April 25th, 2009 Mexico City cancels all public events to fight fluMEXICO CITY — A deadly new swine flu strain that has killed at least 20 people in Mexico City and sickened more than 1,000 has "pandemic potential," the World Health Organization chief said Saturday — but some fear it may be too late to contain the outbreak. With 24 new suspected cases of the swine flu reported Saturday, Mexico City said schools would remain closed and all public events suspended until further notice — including more than 500 concerts, sporting events and other gatherings including the popular weekly bicycle rides on streets closed to traffic.

April 25th, 2009 Mexico City cancels all public events for 10 daysMEXICO CITY — Mexico City is suspending all public events for 10 days as officials try to contain an outbreak of a deadly new swine flu. Mayor Marcelo Ebrard says the city has enough medicine to treat those infected, but the city's focus is on containing the spread of the strain.