Today, many parts of the world are concerned about the same thing: swine flu. The World's Lorne Matalon has the latest from the hardest-hit country so far -- Mexico.
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LISA MULLINS: I'm Lisa Mullins. This is The World. People in many countries are talking about one thing today: the swine flu. Seven countries now report confirmed cases of the illness. The list includes New Zealand and Israel. Here in the United States, at least 68 people are known to have fallen ill, in 6 states. Today one of those states, California, declared a state of emergency. But the epicenter is Mexico where the number of suspected deaths from swine flu is now more than 150. And Mexican authorities are trying to figure out how and where the health crisis began. We begin our coverage with The World's Lorne Matalon in Mexico City.
LORNE MATALON: No one knows where the swine flu outbreak started, but speculation centers on the Mexican state of Veracruz. Mexico's first confirmed swine flu case was a 5-year-old boy who lives there, near an industrial pig farm. A farm spokesman says the boy is not related to any farm workers, and that the pigs were vaccinated for flu. The boy recovered. Still, a possible link to area farms is being taken seriously. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization has dispatched a team to investigate. Joseph Domenech is the FAO's chief veterinary officer.
JOSEPH DOMENECH: At this stage these are pure rumors we heard yesterday as everybody coming from the local media and we are investigating directly with the local authorities and we are sending a team from Rome today.
MATALON: One local in the village of La Gloria in Veracruz says it makes sense that the outbreak started in his area. Jose Luis Martinez says many of his neighbors were in Mexico City recently during Easter Week. He says," 50% of the people here work in Mexico City, and during Holy Week they came back and spent it with their families. Then they go back to Mexico City and that's why there are flu cases there. Mexican politicians say it's far too soon to reach any conclusions. The Governor of Veracruz, Fidel Herrera Beltrán, denies the outbreak started in his State. And Mexico's Health Minister has implied that the outbreak may have started in the United States. But the possible link to Mexican pig farms could cause economic fallout. China and Russia have banned the importation of Mexican pork, even though you cannot catch Swine Flu by eating pork. It's one more blow to Mexico's already-battered economy. The country is suffering from high unemployment, a slump in tourism, and record-low remittances from Mexicans in the US. Economist Gabriel Casillas told Mexican television that swine flu is now triggering higher food prices. Some residents have started stocking up on food, a move the Mexican Business Council says is unnecessary, that at least food supplies, if not prices, are stable. Mexicans such as Barbara Miranda say they're doing their best to cope.
BARBARA MIRANDA: And I don't know what is going to happen. I really have fear. I try to calm down because I don't want to go into panic and try to stay as calm as possible. But things are not normal right now, and it's a little upsetting.
MATALON: Also affecting the economy, Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordoba's decision to close all schools across Mexico until at least next Wednesday. Before today only schools in Mexico City, and the states of Mexico and San Luis Potosi were closed. Schools provide major income to Mexico's transportation, service and food sectors. Those sectors alone represent more than 60% of Mexico's economy. For The World, I'm Lorne Matalon in Mexico City.
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