Questions abound about Mexico's response to the crisis
Monday, April 27, 2009 - 02:21
in Health & Medicine
Did officials move slowly to contain the swine flu outbreak? The government denies it did, saying it acted as soon as the virus was identified -- in a Canadian lab because Mexico lacks the facilities. On Wednesday, a top Health Ministry official, Mauricio Hernandez, deputy secretary for prevention, told Mexicans that a small uptick in flu deaths "by no means indicates an epidemic." Scarcely 24 hours later, the government went on late-night television to issue an emergency decree closing all schools, from day care through university, in Mexico City and the state of Mexico, affecting nearly 7 million students.