| | |  Business News | May 2009 
Mexico Requests Aid as Reward for Flu Response
 EFE/Bloomberg News
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| | Health Secretary José Angel Córdova (AP/Keystone/Laurent Gillieron) | |
Geneva - Health Secretary José Angel Córdova called for the creation of a compensation fund that will allow Mexico to overcome the economic losses it suffered due to the swine flu outbreak.
"This fund would be used to compensate the countries that give notice in a timely manner of possible public health events of international importance, as a means to provide an incentive for transparency and international cooperation on health issues," Córdova said here in Geneva before the full session of the World Health Assembly.
The fund, he suggested, would be financed by institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Córdova said the alert declared by the World Health Organization, or WHO, "is taking place during a global financial crisis, which was already exerting great pressure on the economies and health systems of all nations."
"Mexico experienced uncertain and difficult moments starting with the detection of the first cases of atypical pneumonia in several states across the country," he said, but he added that the measures taken had managed to bring the epidemic under control.
"The epidemic in Mexico is under control and we await you with open arms," said Córdova, adding that Mexico promptly notified the WHO of the existence of the A/H1N1 virus and launched the pandemic containment plan "in a responsible and transparent manner before the international community."
"We did it knowing that it would produce benefits for the world health system but also fully aware that the perception that Mexico was the epicenter of a pandemic could lead to other negative consequences for the country and its economy," Córdova said.
Consequences are already being felt in a notable way in sectors like tourism, a key source of income for Mexico, as well as in foreign trade, investments and employment, he said.
The number of confirmed deaths in Mexico caused by the A/H1N1 flu virus stands at 70 and the number of contagions at 3,646 as of Monday.
Business groups in Mexico say the economy has already lost more than $1 billion due to flu-related closures, and the country's tourism revenues are expected to be off substantially from last year.
In related news, Canada's public health agency lifted its recommendation that travelers avoid nonessential trips to Mexico because the spread of the swine-flu virus appears to be abating. Government officials continue to be on "heightened alert" for the influenza, the Public Health Agency of Canada said Monday in a press release. Nearly all cases of H1N1 infection in Canada have caused mild illness, the agency said. Canada issued the Mexico travel advisory on April 27.
"The latest evidence indicates the number of H1N1 influenza cases in Mexico has leveled off and the risk of contracting the virus has decreased," the agency said. "With the H1N1 virus circulating within Canada, travel to Mexico is no longer a heightened risk factor for the spread of the virus." |
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