Pandemic in Mexico City?

PESTILENCE!
Luke 21:11--And great earthquakes will be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences: and fearful sights, and great signs will there be from heaven.

I have been watching the news on blogs and such about flu and swine flu these last 48 hours. Wednesday it popped on a few Canadian news outlets that Canadians returning from Mexico were coming down with flu and dying. That got my attention:

Alert Issued After Serious Mystery Ailment Affects Canadians Returning From Mexico
"The mystery malady has puzzled experts both here and in Mexico, who have yet to identify exactly what it is. The ailment seems to primarily affect young adults who went on their trips healthy but failed to return in the same condition. The symptoms begin as a flu-like illness and rapidly deteriorate to respiratory distress and breathing difficulties. Doctors in Mexico are well aware of its presence. At least 20 people have died there so far - mostly patients between the ages of 25 and 44."

Then the next day, (Thursday) outbreaks of a new swine flu were affecting people in CA and TX, and the swine flu strain was genetically new and unfamiliar to scientists. Scientists were visibly concerned that none of the affected had been near a pig, meaning the strain had mutated into human-to-human contact...

CDC confirms 7 cases of swine flu in humans
"A total of seven cases of a previously undetected strain of swine flu have been confirmed in humans in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. None of the patients has had direct contact with pigs. Five of the cases have been found in California, and two have been found in Texas, near San Antonio..."

Then mainstream news outlets Thursday afternoon started reporting that scientists were 'stymied', 'puzzled' and 'scrambling' about this new swine flu:

Swine Flu Infects Seven; Genetic Make-Up Has Scientists Stymied
• Swine flu cases in US, mystery ailment in Mexico have experts scrambling

Then overnight Thursday into Friday 'Twitters' started to go out from people in Mexico City about a pandemic but, nothing on the news at that point yet: ("RodrigoMx is a journalist in Baja Mexico)

@RodrigoMx: WHO says 800 cases on influenza in Mexico, 60 killed... thats pretty serious... they don't know what kind of influenza is...

@BreakingNews The World Health Organization says there are near 800 cases of influenza en Mexico; 7 in the United States.

@RodrigoMx: Mexico City is in a virtual state of siege today. No schools, govt says public may star indoors...

@BreakingNews: World Health Organization says it had activated its Strategic Health Operations Centre because new swine flu in US, flu in Mexico.

Friday morning World Health Organization admitted there were flu cases in Mex City but downplayed the seriousness in the Main Stream News article:

Mexico shuts schools in flu scare
"Mexico is canceling classes for millions of children in the heart of the country on Friday after influenza killed around 20 people in recent weeks. About 79 people, possibly ill with the flu, are being treated in Mexico and that number has not increased in recent days, the Health Ministry said."

But we now know different. Not having to rely on 'Main Stream News,' people on the ground are reporting the situation is much more serious. They are going to use the army in Mexico City to attempt to close down exits, they closed all schools, and WHO is setting up a command post, and, just to make things interesting, by 8am Friday,

"The Public Health Agency of Canada has raised the pandemic surveillance alert from a Level 1 to a Level 2. Grondin said this was "not common" but stressed the move was to signify their increased level of vigilance..."

Now, US 'very concerned' about swine flu outbreak
"WASHINGTON (AFP) — US medical authorities expressed strong concern Friday about an unprecedented multi-strain swine flu outbreak that has killed at least 60 people in Mexico and infected seven people in the United States. "It's very obvious that we are very concerned. We've stood up emergency operation centers," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) spokesman Dave Daigle told AFP. One major source of concern was that the virus included strains from different types of flu."

"This is the first time that we've seen an avian strain, two swine strains and a human strain," said Daigle, adding that the virus had influenza strains from European and Asian swine, but not from North American swine."

So you can see how fast this all unfolded!

Go to SickCity to track twitter mentions of flu in any city in any nation