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The H1N1 virus will always exist
Unlike last year, residents of Mexico City have forgotten the use of face mask as a precaution. EL UNIVERSAL
◦ A year of living with the human influenza
We learned to better serve''emergencies,''said Secretary of Health. Warns of a new latent risk in the world: bird flu
MEXICO CITY .- "I was told that was facing a new virus of animal origin. It was the most difficult time of uncertainty. We knew it was capable of pandemic influenza. The picture that we had presented was fatal. There could be two million patients in three months and a million dead, "says Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos.
"The first thing I did was tell the President Felipe Calder?n. I moved to Los Pinos. I told him what books and studies said that they had to do. And I said, 'Act as you have to act. " Hence came the decision to suspend classes, and then the decision to warn the public of the measures of distance. "
These are the words of Cordova Villalobos, the same as a year ago, on April 23, 2009, appeared in national television to report on the new virus and the measures that kept most of the inhabitants of the country home.
An emergency phase began today, he says, is about to end.
If the infections are kept at the level of decline that have occurred in recent months, in May the federal government will end the emergency, in consultation with the World Health Organization (WHO).
An emergency that was caused by a virus that is not yet known how he came to Mexico. Because, explains, the "zero case", as he called the boy Edgar Hernandez in Perote, Veracruz, the spread did not detonate. The case turned on the alarm of the National Epidemiological Surveillance System was to Adela Maria Gutierrez Cruz, a woman from Oaxaca, pregnant, who died and who is detected the virus.
A year away, no dark circles, tiredness, worry and stress of those days were adamant: "we were never overwhelmed the response capacity, while recognizing that learning how to handle the virus was in the up, "because it is the same drills and reading manuals of what had been forecast, to be brought daily living."
He says that "the virus will continue to exist, cases will remain, but not in significant amounts." But he warns of a new latent risk around the world: the avian flu.
The risk of recurrence of the virus, which hit China a few years ago, has not vanished from influenza A H1N1. "We are better prepared, but if it came a brutal pandemic H5N1 virus, the consequences could be serious in any country in the world, not only in Mexico, so it is necessary to improve the response capacity and preparedness plans.
- What a year away, and is quieter?
- Yes, of course, were difficult times, debilitating, perhaps the most difficult in my life experience, now I feel more relaxed, but always with the stress of what may come, if not flooding, are earthquakes, epidemics or dengue are always "the razor's edge" and there are always health risks.
Tourism is still feeling the effects of the epidemic
A year after the outbreak of influenza virus type A H1N1, which became epidemic and has spread throughout the country, significantly affecting tourism, which fell 10%, and when it appeared that the recovery began, the onslaught of violence and insecurity, threaten to engulf this activity.
Analysts, industry and government recognize how difficult it is to quantify the damage that caused the flu on the national tourism sector, which nevertheless remains the third generator of revenue for the country. However, agree that the epidemic significantly accelerated the collapse of foreign tourists to the country.
Julie Miller, president of International Consultants SC, check your statistics and reveals that since the first months of 2009, tourism figures showed a clear downward trend of 6% and, although not easily point out the extent of damage the epidemic, it is clear that this was "the coup de grace" which accelerated the collapse of the sector up to 10% in 2009.
Maria de Lourdes Rocha, adviser to the direction Banamex Economic Studies, agrees that the influenza was a serious blow, but only joined others who were already hurting tourism. Although he says that now shows a slight recovery in some destinations, such as the Riviera Maya or Los Cabos, still below 2008 levels good and has not succeeded in reversing the poor performance of 2009.
Miguel Torruco Marques, head of the National Tourism Confederation (CNT), warns that the recovery will take a long time, pending the adoption of a comprehensive long-term policy to transform this activity into a real engine for the economy.
A sick industry
50-70% tourism plummeted in the last week of April and early May 2009.
90% losses were Cozumel and Puerto Vallarta for the cancellation of cruises.
GDP fell 6.5% in the country in 2009. 0.9% directly hit the tourist industry.
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