Chinese, Mexicans return as flu fears ease

SHANGHAI/MEXICO CITY – Mexico was flying home dozens of its citizens yesterday quarantined in China over fears of a new flu virus and announced plans to revive its economy hit by the deadly epidemic, which showed signs of easing.

An Aeromexico plane arrived in Beijing to pick up Mexican nationals there, after taking on dozens in Shanghai. The flight was scheduled to head south to Guangzhou and then to neighbouring Hong Kong before flying home.None of the 70 or so Mexicans quarantined in mainland China have shown symptoms of the H1N1 flu, but they have been caught up in a drama about how far governments should go to stifle fears the virus could creep across their borders.Xinhua reported that a Chinese chartered flight had retrieved 79 Chinese nationals in Mexico City before heading to Tijuana, where it was expected to pick up 20 more. China has suspended direct scheduled flights to Mexico.Mexico is considered the epicentre of the flu outbreak that has infected more than 1 200 people in 21 countries over the past week. To date, 27 deaths have been officially confirmed – 26 in Mexico and one in the United States – though more than 100 are suspected to have died from the flu.Its global spread has kept alive fears of a possible pandemic, although scientists say this strain does not appear more deadly than seasonal flu.While the new H1N1 virus is not food-borne, fears of cross-border contagion stirred up international trade tensions after about 20 nations banned imports of pigs, pork and other meat from the United States, Canada and Mexico, the three most flu-affected countries. Health experts, citing precedents such as the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic that killed millions of people, warn the latest epidemic could attack more violently a few months from now. WHO chief Margaret Chan said the apparent good news from Mexico over the epidemic had to be treated with caution. Before issuing a level 6 pandemic alert, the WHO would need to see the virus spreading within communities in Europe or Asia. ‘No one can say right now how the pandemic will evolve or indeed whether we are going into a pandemic,’ Chan told a UN General Assembly session. – Nampa-Reuters