A soldier distributes sanitary masks April 25, 2009 in the heart of Mexico City. And epidemic of Swine Flu has killed dozens in Mexico and has put the world of high alert. (Alfredo Estrella/AFP/Getty Images)
An anonymous source at the Office of President affirmed that over 250 people have died and another 3,000 people are infected. Officially released figures have confirmed 60 dead and 1,200 infected.
As the above paragraph was being written, the official tally increased to 81 people dead.
On the evening of April 23, Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova, announced that schools would be closed the following day. On April 25, the mayor of Mexico, Marcelo Ebrard, proposed that all schools be closed for the next two weeks.
Bars, night clubs, museums, art galleries, schools, and most public institutions were closed on April 24 in order to keep the virus from spreading. Mexicans have been told this will last about ten more days to keep the situation under control. Authorities are asking the public to remain calm.
Residents of Mexico City and its surrounding areas are having to radically change their routines.
"Our first reaction was to celebrate the canceled classes," said Elisa Vela Jarquín, 16, a student from Pedregal, an exclusive area in the south of Mexico City. "But, after a few hours, our attitudes changed completely."
"My parents are planning to stay in an isolated area for a few weeks. Probably not outside the country, but we won't stay in Mexico [City]," she said.
The number of people who have such an option are few in Mexico, a city of about 20 million residents known for its high population density as well as large gulf between rich and poor.
"My immunity is low so I have to pay a lot more attention than usual," said Maria Elena, a domestic worker living in Valle de Chalco, a suburb of Mexico City. For five years, she's been fighting breast cancer and considers herself lucky to be alive.
"I have to take precautionary measures like covering my mouth and not going to places where there are a lot of people, nor shaking hands or greeting people with kisses," she said.
The problem for Maria Elena is that she normally spends two-and-a-half hours per day commuting on crowded subways and buses to get to her clients' homes in the capital. The chances of being in close proximity to an infected carrier of the virus are much greater on public transit compared to traveling by car or staying home.
The Sleeping Monster
Mexico, a bustling city known for its continuous festivals and constant state of motion, experienced a similarly deserted weekend in the days following the deadly earthquake in 1985.
Last week, the soccer stadiums were closed to the public and National League teams played before a silent audience of TV cameras.
Presidente Masarik, normally one of the city's most bustling avenues, was like a ghost town. For once it was possible to have your pick of parking spots in the Polanco fashion district.
"It's unheard of," exclaimed José Amón, owner of Red Man, a chique Asian fusion restaurant in the Polanco district.
Taxi drivers, valets, and service people jumped on the few people who, despite the news reports, decided not to change their normal routines.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of people infected with H1N1 has gradually multiplied over the month of April. On April 23, 854 cases had been reported in Mexico.
"The majority of cases affected young adults, otherwise in good health. The flu usually affects very young people and very old people, but these groups were not heavily affected in Mexico," said a WHO report published April 24.
"Human cases associated with an animal-originated flu virus, the geographic spread to different communities, along with the affected age-group," makes this virus very worrisome according to the WHO document.
On April 24, the Health Minister confirmed that public hospitals possessed a million doses of Oseltamivir and Zanamivir, two anti-virals effective against the virus. The WHO praised the reaction of Mexico in facing this crisis.
However, a more troubling portrait is painted by virus carriers who have spoken to the media, like Mariana Solis, a primary school teacher.
According to the weekly El Universal, when Ms. Solis arrived in emergency at the National Respiratory Illness Institute, she was told her prescription for an anti-viral would be filled shortly. After an hour, the prescription was returned to her with no medication. She was told to go to a pharmacy.
She then went to at least five pharmacies where the medicine was also out of supply and she was told that many vials had been given over to federal authorities. Eventually, she obtained a dose of Oseltamivir but told the media that she knows at least five other similar cases at the same hospital.
Gabriel Aubry Gayón lives, works, and writes in Mexico City
