VZCZCXRO3649
RR RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHME #1209/01 1201738
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 301738Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6300
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
INFO RUEHXQ/ALL EUROPEAN UNION POST COLLECTIVE
RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RUEHGT/AMEMBASSY GUATEMALA 3814
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0482
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 2522
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV 0179
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1103

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 07 MEXICO 001209 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
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/DPPPC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC CVIS CASC KSCA TBIO MX
SUBJECT:  SITREP 6 - H1N1 FLU OUTBREAK IN MEXICO CITY 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY: 
--------------- 
 
April 29 GOM estimates of confirmed H1N1 cases rose to 99, 
with eight cases resulting in death.  Additionally, Secretary 
of Health Cordova announced that non-critical federal 
government offices will close from May 1 thru May 5. 
Essential government services will remain operational. 
 
¶2.  (U) FEDERAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACTIONS: 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT:  On April 29, Secretary of Health Cordova 
announced that federal government offices will close from May 
1 thru May 5.  Critical employees will continue to work and 
essential government services will still be provided. 
States/municipalities were encouraged to adopt similar 
measures. The  private sector is also encouraged to suspend 
non-critical activities. Supermarkets, drug stores, telecom, 
banks, gas stations, and hotels will remain open. 
Restaurants may remain open as long as they are not in closed 
spaces. 
 
-- The Public Education Secretariat (SEP) created a guide, 
&What a School Can Do To Face Influenza?8 and it will be 
distributed to all grade levels.  Information on designing an 
emergency plan before returning to school, establishing 
screening procedures to detect probable cases of H1N1 flu, 
and other measures are included. 
 
-- A team of 14 veterinarians and health officials from the 
Mexican veterinary service (SENASICA) and public health 
agency (COFEPRIS) is inspecting the La Gloria hog farm owned 
by Smithfield, near Veracruz, and is taking samples to 
determine if any swine at the farm are infected with H1N1 
influenza.  A Smithfield company veterinarian is with the 
government team.  Results of the investigation will be 
reported to the APHIS office in Mexico City. 
 
-- The Mexican veterinary service (SENASICA) circulated a 
letter from the International Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE) to foreign embassies attesting to the lack of any link 
between the A/H1N1 virus and consumption of pork. 
 
-- Official requests for assistance were made to the 
governments of the U.S., China, and Japan for stocks of 
Tamiflu. According to local press reports, China has offered 
$5M:  $1M in cash, and $4M in &humanitarian assistance.8 
 
MEXICO CITY GOVERNMENT:  On August 29, Mexico City Mayor 
highlighted that the local government had implemented 100% of 
the measures of the maximum alert and defended his decision 
to maintain the closure of restaurants, bars, and other 
areas.  He rejected the implementation of other restrictive 
measures including the cancellation of public transportation. 
 The city government also began distributing anti-bacterial 
gel to metro (subway) users. 
 
 
STATE OF MEXICO:  On April 28, Governor Enrique Pena Nieto 
announced that there will be 122 mobile medical units that 
will give medical attention in the largest municipalities. 
 
-- The Health Secretary said that the state would have 15,000 
new lab tests kits that will allow them to detect Influenza A 
and H1N1 flu.  The old test kits yeilded results in 48 hours 
but the new test kits will provide results much faster. 
Finally, he said the State had sufficient retrovirals. 
 
-- In general The State of Mexico, he has take similar 
measures as to those implemented in DF and the Federal 
Government, except for shutting down commercial 
establishments and restaurants. 
 
 
MEXICO 00001209  002 OF 007 
 
 
 
¶3.  (U) ACTIONS BY NON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS: 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
Nothing new to report. 
 
 
¶4.  (SBU) STATISTICS: 
--------------------- 
 
-- At a press conference on the evening of April 29, the 
Secretary of Health reported that there are now 99 confirmed 
H1N1 cases.  Of these, 8 have resulted in deaths.  Of the 
total confirmed cases, 83 are in D.F.; 13 in the State of 
Mexico; 1 in Colima; 1 in Oaxaca; and 1 in Veracruz. Note: 
We continue to have problems obtaining consistent government 
statistical data. End Note. 
 
-- The number of hospital beds available/filled and daily 
admittance to hospitals from 24 - 27 April:  INER hospital 
reports 61.8% occupied, Hospital General de Mexico 71.7%, and 
ISSTE Zaragoza 86.1%. 
 
 
¶5.  (U) MANAGEMENT ISSUES: 
-------------------------- 
 
-- The Embassy issued an additional 30 masks to U.S. direct 
hire employees, their families, and locally employed staff. 
 
-- Two additional CDC visitors arrived in Mexico City Embassy 
April 29 and 1 is expected to arrive April 30 for a total of 
12 CDC visitors in country. 
 
-- The Embassy set up a call center with 3 phones and 3 
computers.  Operation for the call center will begin April 30 
if demand warrants. Callers can either dial direct or access 
the center through the main embassy greeting (press 1 for 
influenza information, then press 0 to speak to a call center 
staff). 
 
--  The Embassy conducted a warden check  and a radio check 
is planned for the weekend. 
 
-- Guidelines for telecommuting were distributed and 
employees were encouraged to take liberal leave. 
 
-- An EAC meeting and a town hall meeting will be convened on 
April 30 and employees will be dismissed at noon. 
 
-- Absenteeism remains very low. 
 
 
¶6.  (U) SECURITY ISSUES: 
------------------------ 
 
Embassy continues to experience absenteeism among local 
guards and police, but the number of guards/police remains 
adequate.  RSO will continue to monitor the activity of 
Embassy guards and police closely. 
 
 
¶7.  (U) CONSULAR ISSUES: 
------------------------ 
 
-- U.S. EMBASSY:  The Embassy will issue an updated warden 
message April 30, the sixth in seven days.  The message will 
refer to WHO,s April 29 announcement, raising the pandemic 
alert to Phase 5. 
 
Embassy Mexico's call center received approximately 600 
H1N1-flu related calls on April 29, slightly more than April 
¶28.  Roughly half of the calls were questions about 
rescheduling visas.  Embassy is preparing contingency plans 
 
MEXICO 00001209  003 OF 007 
 
 
for a call center this weekend, but do not plan to stand it 
up unless the numbers of calls per day to the operators 
exceed 1000. Current plans are to add more operators. 
 
One emergency visa case was interviewed and issued April 29. 
The American Citizen Services section experienced a normal 
day with 30 passport applications and 9 emergencies. 
 
 
-- CONSULATE, CIUDAD JUAREZ: IV operations finished 
processing applicants on April 29.  The no-show rate for IV 
applicants was within the normal range.  IV operations will 
be suspended from April 30 to May 8. All IV applicants with 
appointments scheduled on these dates will be rescheduled for 
June 5th, 8th, and 9th and will receive a new appointment via 
regular mail. 
 
-- CONSULATE, GUADALAJARA: ACS handled approximately half of 
their regularly scheduled appointments today. The remainders 
were &no-shows.8 The majority of applicants requested 
emergency passports, but there is no sign that the Amcit 
community is fleeing Mexico en masse. The volume of Amcit 
calls has also dropped in comparison to yesterday. The Visa 
Unit handled eight emergency cases. 
 
 
-- CONSULATE, NOGALES:  Visa services continue suspended 
until May 6.  ACS services continue with limited service for 
emergencies.  Post reached out to newspapers to notify the 
public of limited services and to inform them of how to reach 
the consular section should emergencies arise. A warden 
message was issued and the website was updated. 
 
 
-- U.S. CONSULATE, HERMOSILLO:  NIV Chief reported that 
people are calling and inquiring as to the status of 
appointments on May 6. 
 
-- U.S. CONSULATE, MERIDA:  Consulate received a report from 
an AMCIT of a doctor attempting to charge an excessive amount 
for H1N1 screening. We are currently working with the 
Secretary of Health from each state to advise AMCITs of a 
procedure and number to contact should they become concerned 
of infection. Consulate management is preparing projects for 
CONOFFs should normal services remain closed through next 
week. 
 
-- U.S. CONSULATE, MONTERREY: The ACS section has continued 
to receive 15-20 calls per day, primarily to inquire if the 
border is closed or about visa appointments for Mexican 
friends. 
 
 
 
¶8.  (U) BORDER AND CONSULATE ISSUES: 
----------------------------------- 
 
-- CIUDAD JUAREZ: Municipal authorities in Chihuahua and 
Ciudad Juarez launched radio, television, and print spots to 
inform the public of the latest information related to the 
H1N1 outbreak.  Municipal and State authorities continue to 
distribute brochures at airports, bus stations and highway 
checkpoints.  The Juarez Mayor's Office told Post that it 
printed and plans to distribute 200,000 brochures.  Chihuahua 
State authorities issued a recommendation to all public 
transport operators that they wear masks and use gloves when 
transporting passengers.  The Chihuahua Delegate for the 
National Chamber of Industry (CANACINTRA) stated in a press 
conference that the commercial sector supports the GOM,s 
measures to contain the spread of the swine flu virus. 
 
Hotel managers in Ciudad Juarez expect that the suspension of 
consular services will reduce their occupancy rates by an 
average of 30 percent.  The most recent statistics available 
 
MEXICO 00001209  004 OF 007 
 
 
to Post show that business generated by the U.S. Consulate 
General in Ciudad Juarez accounts for more than 70 percent of 
the city's tourism revenue. 
 
 
Post Management Officer (MO) continues to distribute masks, 
hand-washing sanitizer and Clorox wipes at all remaining 
active immigrant visa and ACS interview windows at Post. 
Several local suppliers told the MO that they currently do 
not have masks and cleaning supplies available for purchase 
due to the swine flu outbreak.   The suppliers expect to 
receive a shipment next week.  The MO is confident that Post 
has sufficient stock of these items. 
 
-- GUADALAJARA:  Nearly all public activities have been 
suspended.  Guadalajara,s zoo is now closed to the public, 
and the popular Sunday &Via Recreativa8 closure of a major 
avenue to facilitate biking and strolling has been suspended 
until further notice. Aguascalientes State has canceled the 
remainder of the San Marcos Fair ) Mexico's largest State 
Fair, as a precautionary measure.  RSO reports a decline in 
criminal incidents throughout Guadalajara.  No incidents of 
&panic buying8 of supplies have been reported.  Several 
cruise lines have canceled Mexico port calls. This action 
will further damage the economies of cruise ports such as 
Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, and Mazatlan. 
 
--HERMOSILLO:  The Consulate General convened an EAC meeting 
April 29.  RSO reports that Post cascade emergency 
notification drill was carried out with a high level of 
participation.  Local newspapers are reporting that the 
month-long livestock exposition (EXPOGAN) has suspended 
activities until May 7, due to lack of attendance and concern 
over H1N1. 
 
 
-- NOGALES: Post hosted a meeting of the local Integrated 
Emergency Management Group on 04/28.  The group consisted of 
Mexican and U.S. health authorities as well as County 
Emergency first responders from both sides of the Nogales 
border. The meeting adjourned in a very positive note 
agreeing to meet again next week. 
 
-- MONTERREY:  Nuevo Leon Governor Gonzalez Paras closed some 
state offices attending the public, suspended Friday's Labor 
Day celebrations, and urged people not to attend movie 
theaters or other closed areas.  Several movie theaters had 
already closed due to lack of patrons.  In addition, 250 
people held in prison for administrative irregularities were 
released from four prisons due to the risk of the spread of 
H1N1 flu.  Several of the PAN and PRI candidates have 
canceled election events.  Finally, our contacts expect local 
schools to remain closed past May 6. 
 
The governments in the other states have also reacted.  In 
San Luis Potosi (SLP), the PAN and PRI parties have canceled 
campaign rallies until May 6.  In Durango, only one member of 
the family is permitted to visit the patient in some 
hospitals.  Durango has also closed some public venues such 
as the zoo, a pool and a park.  In Zacatecas, Governor Garcia 
said that the pandemic had not hit Zacatecas, but the bishop 
suspended weekend mass services. 
 
Many people in Nuevo Leon are staying home, as restaurants, 
movie houses and bars are fairly empty.  A good percentage of 
people are beginning to wear face masks.  Post will hold a 
town hall meeting on April 29 to keep the Consulate community 
informed and to answer any questions. 
 
 
-- TIJUANA:  Wait times to cross from Mexico to the US have 
drastically dropped from an average of 2-3 hours to an 
average wait time of less than an hour currently.  News media 
and public officials have expressed great alarm over the 
 
MEXICO 00001209  005 OF 007 
 
 
economic impact that the current crisis is having on the 
region.  It is estimated that business has been reduced by as 
much as 50%, and hotel occupancy has fallen by approximately 
35%. 
 
-- MERIDA:  Archeological sites and cruise ship ports have 
been temporarily closed.  The Secretary of tourism for 
Quintana Roo stated hotel occupancy is currently down 26% and 
they are seeing many charter cancellations from Europe. 
Consulate staff and EFMs remain calm. The MO and the CLO have 
been providing notices and updates to staff that keep them 
informed and their moral up. 
 
--MATAMOROS:  Until yesterday, traffic from Brownsville, TX 
to Matamoros last week was normal, but today has decreased 
50%.  The 22-month old child who died in Houston was a 
Mexican citizen on vacation from Mexico City to Brownsville. 
She landed April 2 in Matamoros and became ill; she was 
transported to Houston where she died.  Post has one EFM and 
one officer exhibiting flu-like symptoms.   Streets and main 
squares are less populated and there are Emergency Services 
handing out information throughout the city.  Post will 
continue to monitor the situation. 
 
 
¶9.  (U) MEDIA REACTION/GENERAL POPULATION SENTIMENTS: 
--------------------------------------------- -------- 
 
On April 29, coverage of the H1N1 outbreak continued focusing 
on the economic consequences of the disease particularly 
because the Mexico City government ordered the temporary 
suspension of dine-in service at restaurants. Most newspapers 
reported an estimated loss of US$70 million daily as a 
consequence of this measure. Business-oriented daily El 
Economista editorialized in its headline, &Is this 
necessary?8 showing pictures of empty restaurants. 
&Business sector furious,8 added newspaper Milenio in its 
headline. Reaction to the measure was very negative among 
opinion makers. Economic expert Sergio Sarmiento wrote in his 
daily column in newspaper Reforma, &Closing down the Mexico 
City restaurants was a very unwise decision that could have 
huge consequences ... especially because the federal 
government asked local governments not to take measures that 
significantly affected economic activity.8 Reforma columnist 
Manuel Jauregui added, &The measure does not realistically 
contribute to fighting the outbreak and it represents a blow 
against an already weak economy.8 The media is also 
reporting statements by politicians, officials and 
commentators who suggest that it would be wise to postpone 
the start of the midterm elections campaigns ) scheduled for 
this Sunday. Other important items reported included the 
detection of new cases throughout the world and the first 
reported death in the U.S. of a Mexican infant.  On April 29 
at around 3PM central time, news broke in the electronic 
media that the WHO raised the pandemic alert to level 5. Most 
reports have been very cautious, avoiding sensationalism. 
Reports also highlighted that at this point no borders will 
be closed. 
 
¶10.  (U) ECONOMIC IMPACT: 
------------------------- 
MACROECONOMIC IMPACT:  At the August 29 press conference, 
Secretary of Finance Agustin Carstens said the H1N1 outbreak 
will have a negative impact on the economy.  The magnitude of 
the impact will depend on the duration of the epidemic and 
the size of the outbreak.  The tourism sector has been the 
most immediately affected.  Recovery is expected to be fast 
once the situation is over. 
 
Carstens explained that there are 6.3 billion pesos available 
in a catastrophic fund to be used immediately to address the 
health crisis.  Caldeorn instructed Hacienda to release the 
fund to other Secretariats for expenses related to the flu. 
There are no budgetary restrictions to address this event, 
 
MEXICO 00001209  006 OF 007 
 
 
which is a priority for the GOM.  Carstens calculates they 
have sufficient resources including the World Bank loan. 
 
U.S. BUSINESSES IN MEXICO:  Mission Mexico convened a 
conference call with the American Chamber and heads of 
various U.S. businesses operating in Mexico, including from 
the energy, financial, transportation, and insurance sectors. 
 The businesses have followed the lead of the GOM, 
discouraging meetings, limiting travel, and encouraging work 
from home.  They expressed a certain frustration with the 
lack of accurate information and trying to plan ahead, not 
knowing how long the business closures and other preventive 
measures will be necessary.  Commercial activity continues 
with no supply challenges at the present time.  Nationwide 
and at the border, the distribution and product transport 
systems are still running well.  The representative of a 
major financial services company noted they had seen a very 
slight drop in charges over the weekend in Mexico City, with 
a surge on Sunday mostly due to bulk purchasing at 
supermarkets.  Parties agreed to schedule another conference 
call for Wednesday, May 6. 
 
PORK INDUSTRY:  The Mexican press reports an 80-percent drop 
in pork consumption as ill-informed consumers avoid pork, 
thinking it is a potential source of infection.  April 30 the 
Secretariat of Agriculture (SAGARPA) will discuss a request 
from Mexican pork producers to shut down pork imports due to 
the Mexican swine industry's economic distress.  Pork 
producers are suffering from the severe dropoff in demand. 
The Mexican meat industry association, COMECARNE, is calling 
for a change of the popularized term "swine flu" to something 
else, and reports that demand is down even for pre-cooked and 
processed pork products. 
 
 
¶11.  (U) TRANSPORTATION: 
------------------------ 
 
FLIGHTS:  Cuba and Argentina became the first countries to 
suspend flights to and from Mexico on 28 April.  Peru moved 
similarly on April 29.  Several Canadian airlines have also 
halted service to some or all Mexican stations.  Rumors the 
European Union may suspend flights to Mexico led to confusion 
among passengers with tickets already purchased, according to 
station chiefs at the Mexico City International Airport 
(AICM).  Several major tour operators have cancelled all 
Mexico itineraries and Carnival cruise ships are now skipping 
Mexico ports of call. 
 
AIRPORT CONTROLS:  Secretary of Communications and 
Transportation Molinar Horcasitas gathered airline managers 
on the evening of 28 April to announce augmented passenger 
screening measures at the six largest airports in country by 
international traveler volume (AICM, Cancun, Guadalajara, 
Monterrey, Tijuana, and Cabo), for both entering and exiting 
passengers.  As of the evening of 29 April, preparations were 
underway at airports to launch screening the same day.  All 
passengers will pass through a screening booth to undergo a 
visual inspection and complete a questionnaire.  A 
temperature reading will also be taken, although uncertainty 
remains as to whether this will apply to all passengers or 
only those presenting symptoms upon visual inspection. 
 
AIRLINE PASSENGER VOLUMES:  U.S. carriers report growing 
declines in Mexico passenger arrivals, while outbound flights 
are holding steady.  Some business and tourist travelers are 
moving up their departure dates to leave the country ahead of 
schedule.  Continental, with 10-11 daily flights out of AICM, 
is considering consolidation of flights on its shuttle route 
to Houston. 
Mexican airlines report less change in passenger volumes. 
Domestic routes are not showing the same declines as 
international routes.  Aeromexico, which operates roughly 160 
inbound and 160 outbound flights per day at AICM, is 
 
MEXICO 00001209  007 OF 007 
 
 
cancelling 1-2 flights per day to consolidate passengers on 
lightly traveled routes. 
 
MASS TRANSIT:  Mexico City,s Metro (subway) and Metrobus 
municipal mass transit systems continue to see volume off by 
50%.  For the heavily-used Metro system, this still amounts 
to 2.5 million passengers per day.  Mexican armed forces are 
beginning to deploy to major Metro stations to assist Metro 
staff and police.  Distribution of protective masks to 
passengers is ongoing at major stations.  According to Metro 
officials, a new supply of 5 million masks destined for Metro 
and other mass transit modes is expected to arrive 30 April. 
The decision to close mass transit systems remains with Mayor 
Ebrard.  Metro officials do not consider closure imminent. 
 
BASSETT 
 
Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity and the North American 
Partnership Blog at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/nap / 
BASSETT