VZCZCXRO1056
RR RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHME #1185/01 1181614
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 281614Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6268
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
INFO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 2509
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1094

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 MEXICO 001185 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR WHA/MEX, WHA/PDA, 
STATE FOR OES/IHB, PA, CAPRESS 
STATE FOR MED/DASHO (MCFADDEN, RINALDO, KEYES) 
STATE FOR MED/DIR (PENNER) 
STATE FOR DS/IP/WHA 
CDC FOR CCID/NCPDCID, CCID/NCIRD and COGH/DGPPC 
DHS FOR CBP 
USDA FOR USTA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC CVIS CASC KFLU KSCA TBIO MX
SUBJECT: SITREP 4 - Swine Flu Outbreak in Mexico City 
 
REF:  MEXICO 1173 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: 
--------------- 
 
The GOM announced that schools across Mexico will remain 
closed until May 6.  Mission Mexico decided to suspend 
all non-essential public services at Embassy Mexico and 
the nine Consulates until May 6.  The EACs decided on 
April 27 to defer all non-essential TDY travel to Mexico. 
The Charge held a virtual Town Hall meeting with Embassy 
staff and family members to provide information about the 
outbreak and to answer questions.  Management distributed 
emergency preparedness information to Embassy staff and 
provided surgical masks to employees upon request. 
 
 
¶2.  (U) MEXICAN GOVERNMENT ACTIONS: 
----------------------------------- 
 
The Secretary of Health stated in a press conference on 
April 27: 
--Schools will be closed across Mexico until May 6. 
--COFEPRIS (MexicoQs FDA) is facilitating supplies of 
oseltamivir; Mexico has one million doses of oseltamivir 
and is expecting another 400,000 doses.  This medicine 
will be provided under strict medical control to avoid 
viral resistance. 
--The GOM remains focused controlling the spread of the 
influenza outbreak. 
--The number of cases could increase, and preventative 
measures could be strengthened. 
--Mexico has two labs to detect the virus, the National 
Epidemiological Reference Institute (INDRE - the Mexican 
CDC equivalent) and another in the State of Vera Cruz. 
INDRE is processing 15 tests April 27 and another 100 
April 28.  Operations at the Vera Cruz lab are still to 
be determined. 
 
The Mexico City public transportations are operating as 
usual.  Both systems report that passenger volumes are 
down between 30 and 50 percent.  The public 
transportation system is taking protective measures 
including frequent cleaning of stations, and providing 
masks and gloves to employees.  Officials confirm that 
there is an active discussion about possibly closing the 
public transport system, but no decision has been made. 
 
NORTHCOM donated 108,000 kits of personal protection 
equipment (PPE) to Mexico January 2009.  These kits have 
been distributed as follows: 
--50,000 to the Ministry of Health 
--10,000 to the Ministry of Defense 
--9,000 to the Navy 
--The remaining kits have been distributed to Mexican 
state authorities. 
 
¶3.  (U) ACTIONS BY NON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS: 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
Many private organizations have cancelled events in 
support of the GOM's recommendations against large public 
gatherings. 
 
 
¶4.  (SBU) STATISTICS: 
--------------------- 
 
The Secretary of Health reported: 
--1995 people have been hospitalized; 
--775 remain hospitalized; 
--1070 have been treated and discharged. 
--149 individuals have died. 
 
MEXICO 00001185  002 OF 004 
 
 
According to the CDC, there are: 
--26 lab confirmed cases of swine flu 
--7 confirmed swine flu deaths (# may rise) 
 
CDC officials are working with the GOM to conduct field 
investigations of the 26 confirmed cases.  To date, they 
have collected the following information: 
AGE: 
Less than 5 yrs - 5 
5-19 yrs - 4 
20-39yrs - 9 
40-59 yrs - 7 
60+ yrs - 1 
 
LOCATION: 
Oaxaca - 1 
DF - 17 
Mexico State - 7 
Veracruz - 1 
 
CDC also reports that of 4 case reviews available - 2 
were exposed to pigs within 2 weeks of illness, and all 
were hospitalized. 
 
We continue to have problems obtaining consistent 
government statistical data. 
 
¶5.  (U) MANAGEMENT ISSUES: 
-------------------------- 
 
The EAC met twice on April 27 to review tripwires and 
discuss developments with the swine flu outbreak.  The 
EAC decided to defer all non-essential TDY travel to 
Mexico in keeping with the April 27 CDC guidelines. 
 
The Embassy distributed surgical masks to mission 
employees. 
 
The Management Section distributed emergency preparedness 
guidance. 
 
The Charge held a virtual Town Hall meeting with Mission 
Mexico staff to provide information about the swine flu 
outbreak and to answer questions from Embassy staff and 
family members. 
 
The Charge held a conference call with principal officers 
at all constituent posts in which she asked Principal 
Officers to review trip wires, conduct EACs and offer 
liberal leave to employees.  She requested that each post 
review warden lists and prepare to send advisories to the 
AMCIT community. 
 
¶6.  (U) SECURITY ISSUES: 
------------------------ 
 
RSOs at Mission Mexico Consulates have been asked to 
review emergency supplies and vendors as well as work 
with the local guards and diplomatic police to develop 
contingencies in case of significant absenteeism. 
 
¶7.  (U) CONSULAR ISSUES: 
------------------------ 
 
Following the GOM's announcement to close schools 
throughout Mexico, the Mission decided to suspend all 
non-essential public services at the Embassy and 
Consulates until May 6.  A decision regarding immigrant 
visa appointments at the U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad 
Juarez will be made on April 28.  Operations at the U.S. 
consular agencies throughout Mexico may be curtailed. 
 
The Embassy issued an updated warden message April 27, 
 
MEXICO 00001185  003 OF 004 
 
 
the fourth in four days.  The message refers to the 
latest CD travel notice for Mexico and explains the 
suspension of consular services. 
 
Approximately one third of passport applicants with 
appointments on April 28 have deferred their 
appointments. 
 
Embassy Mexico received approximately 100 swine-flu 
related calls on April 26 and approximately 120 calls on 
April 27.  Most of the callers were inquiring about the 
schedule for Consular Services (non-essential public 
services have been suspended) and travel restrictions to 
the U.S. 
 
 
¶8.  (U) BORDER ISSUES: 
---------------------- 
 
The Secretary of Health announced that probable swine flu 
deaths have now been reported in 10 of 32 states in 
Mexico. 
 
 
¶9.  (U) MEDIA REACTION/GENERAL POPULATION SENTIMENTS: 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
All Mexico City newspapers continue featuring front-page 
coverage of developments in the swine flu outbreak. 
Excelsior, El Financiero and El Economista focused on the 
economic impact of the disease. Other newspapers ran a 
headline that suggests all Mexico City is closed for 
business. Photographs depict an empty city. 
 
Opinion pieces are mixed.  Many opinion makers like 
Milenio editorial directors Ciro Gomez Leyva and Carlos 
Marin believe the government has acted reasonably well. 
"At last the state is working as such," wrote Gomez 
Leyva."Without a doubt, the federal government has acted 
with transparency," added Excelsior's Francisco Zea. 
Government critics, however, criticize the government for 
"taking too long" in announcing and reacting to the 
outbreak. The electronic media continues reporting minute 
by minute, including the latest measure Mexico's federal 
government took to cancel classes in all the country at 
least until May 6, the statement by DHS Secretary 
Napolitano and the reissuing of an OMS alert. 
 
 
¶10.  (U) ECONOMIC IMPACT 
------------------------ 
 
BUSINESS CLIMATE:  Mexican government and private sector 
contacts report business as usual.  The Secretary of 
Labor had asked employers to be flexible with absenteeism 
due to illness and childcare issues and encouraged 
employers to consider allowing employees to telecommute. 
However, most employees are reporting to work.  Any 
decreased commercial activity is largely a result of 
taking precautions, rather than as a direct result of 
illness itself.  The Economic Development Secretariat of 
the Mexico City government calculated the economic losses 
last weekend to have reached 3 billion pesos (USD 213 
million), and are projected to reach USD 990 million by 
May 6.  Restaurants, bars, and movie theaters are nearly 
empty, and Mexico4s leisure and retail sectors face a 
sharp decline as diners and shoppers are heeding official 
warnings to avoid public gatherings, and staying home. 
The manufacturing sector reports some absenteeism, due to 
childcare issues, but no delays in the supply chain or 
cancellations of orders.  Many companies have cancelled 
travel to Mexico for employees not based here.  China, 
Russia, Ukraine, and Nicaragua have reportedly closed 
 
MEXICO 00001185  004 OF 004 
 
 
their borders to Mexican exports Q specifically pork 
products. 
 
MACROECONOMIC IMPACT:  Finance Minister Carstens said 
today that the outbreak will have a 'temporary' negative 
impact on the economy, but said it was too soon to say 
how much.  The stock exchange dropped 3.34% in todayQs 
trading.  Retail dollars were sold at 14.10 pesos to the 
dollar, down from 13.30 at the end of last week. 
U.S.-BOUND FLIGHTS:  Mexico City international airport 
(AICM) averages 136 daily flights to and from the U.S., 
i.e. nearly 70 flights in either direction.  To date, 
there has been no reduction in flight or pax volumes at 
the airport.  Toluca's only international flights are w/ 
Continental, 1-2 per day. 
 
FOOD SUPPLIES:  The Central de Abastos, located in 
eastern Mexico City is the worldQs largest food 
distribution center, with 8,000 trucks and 26,000 tons of 
goods per day.  The Central's director general reports 
directly to Mayor Ebrard.   He has instructions to keep 
the Central operating at all costs, since it is key to 
feeding Mexico City.  While the potential closure of 
Mexico City's mass transit system would affect employees 
ability to report to work, the Central should be able to 
-- and is preparing to -- continue operations. 
 
Mexico's largest retail chain reports that exports, 
imports and supplies at domestic stores are normal. 
There was a spike in sales over the weekend which 
included increased sales of disinfectants, Vitamin C, 
over the counter medicines and face masks. 
 
 
 
BASSETT