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Swine Flu Summit to be Held in Mexico Next Month

by VR Sreeraman on Jun 9 2009 12:27 PM

Mexico will next month host an international summit on swine flu at the Caribbean beach resort of Cancun, the country's health minister said Monday.

Mexico will next month host an international summit on swine flu at the Caribbean beach resort of Cancun, the country's health minister said Monday.

Representatives from 40 countries and the directors general of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization will take part in the summit from July 1 to 3, Jose Angel Cordova said in a statement.

Less than two months after the A(H1N1) virus first emerged, Cordova said the epidemic was now under control.

A few isolated cases have emerged this month, the last reported on June 3 and the last death on May 31, raising the number of fatalities in Mexico to 106.

The health minister said he may be able to remove a flu alert here later this month.

Swine flu has now spread to 73 countries with 25,288 people known to have been infected and 139 people killed, according to the latest WHO tally. It was first uncovered in Mexico and the United States in April.

Cordova said Mexico was working on a project to create a swine flu vaccine, which could be ready in three months.

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He was speaking after a meeting Japanese deputy foreign minister Shintaro Ito. The two discussed strategies to combat the virus.

Japan has confirmed 342 cases of A(H1N1), according to the health ministry.

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Mexico has launched a massive campaign to bring back tourists, particularly to Pacific and Caribbean coast resorts including Cancun, after the virus dealt a heavy blow to the industry, compounding the impact of the global economic crisis.

Source-AFP
SRM


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