VZCZCXRO8175
RR RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHME #1250/01 1270242
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 070242Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 6390
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
INFO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 2582

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 MEXICO 001250 
 
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 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC CVIS CASC KFLU KSCA TBIO MX
SUBJECT: SITREP 13 - H1N1 Outbreak in Mexico 
 
REF:  MEXICO 1236 and previous 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY 
-------------- 
The GOM announced that the number of confirmed H1N1 cases now stands 
at 1,112 including 42 fatalities.  Most of the fatalities were 
registered in April as Mexico continues to clear a backlog of 
samples.  Restaurants in Mexico City and throughout other parts of 
the country reopened and traffic picked up.  Mission Mexico will 
defer non-essential temporary duty travel as long as the CDC Travel 
Alert advises all Americans to postpone non-essential travel to 
Mexico. 
 
 
¶2.  (U) FEDERAL AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACTIONS 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT:  The Secretary of Finance announced a 17.4 
billion peso package to stimulate the economy.  The package will 
include tax cuts for cruises and airlines, as well as deductions in 
social security bills for small businesses. The business sector gave 
the measure mixed reviews.  The states are also being asked to come 
up with an additional 1.4 billion pesos in tax credits. 
 
An Aeromexico flagship 777 landed early the morning of 6 M at Mexico 
City International Airport's Presidential Hangar and discharged some 
138 Mexican nationals released from Chinese quarantine.  Mexico's 
First Lady was on hand to welcome home the travelers. 
 
MEXICO CITY GOVERNMENT: The Mexico City and Washington, D.C. metro 
systems traded additional information on pandemic preparedness and 
disinfecting stations and frequent-touch surfaces.  Mayor Ebrard 
scrubbed clean a Metrobus in a 5 May media appearance to highlight 
the heightened sanitary measures implemented across the capital's 
transportation system. 
The Mexico City government has not determined when establishments 
where large numbers of the public gather will be allowed to reopen - 
including  bars, discos, night clubs, movie theaters, gyms, and 
convention centers. 
 
 
¶3.  (U) ACTIONS BY NON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
No new information to report. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) STATISTICS 
-------------------- 
 
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT: Health Secretary Cordova announced in a May 6 
press conference that the number of confirmed cases now stands at 
1,112 (out of 2164 total cases tested), including 42 fatalities. 
Most of the fatalities were registered in April, but deaths were 
also registered on May 5 (1), May 4 (1), May 3 (1) and May 1 (1). 
Sixteen of the deceased were between 20 and 29 years old.  The 
majority of the deceased were from Mexico City. 
 
STATE BY STATE:  The GOM did not issue state by state numbers of 
confirmed cases on May 5, but did issue a state by state breakdown 
of confirmed deaths: 
 
CHIAPAS - 1 
DF - 29 
HIDALGO - 1 
MEXICO STATE - 5 
OAXACA - 1 
SAN LUIS POTOSI - 3 
TLAXCALA - 2 
 
¶5.  (SBU) MANAGEMENT ISSUES 
--------------------------- 
 
The Health Unit has tested a total of 25 Embassy staff or EFMS for 
possible H1N1 influenza.  One test has been confirmed and one test 
is probable.  Ten members of the Embassy community are taking 
Tamiflu. 
 
 
MEXICO 00001250  002 OF 005 
 
 
The Charge hosted a virtual Town Hall meeting on May 6 to address 
the Embassy community's questions and concerns about the H1N1 
outbreak. 
 
¶6.  (U) SECURITY ISSUES 
----------------------- 
 
The EAC decided to defer further discussion about authorized 
departure.  With schools, restaurants and businesses reopening in 
Mexico, concerns within the community have waned.  The Embassy will 
continue to monitor the situation closely and reconvene the EAC if 
necessary. 
 
The EAC decided to continue deferring non-essential temporary duty 
travel as long as the CDC Travel Alert advising all Americans to 
postpone non-essential travel to Mexico. 
 
¶7.  (U) CONSULAR ISSUES 
----------------------- 
 
Call volume to the Embassy switchboard continues to decline.  In the 
24 hours through 0700 AM May 6, the switch received 8 H1N1 related 
inquiries. 
 
Effective Wednesday, May 6, ACS resumed normal operations at the 
U.S. Embassy and at consulates nationwide.  All nonimmigrant visa 
operations at consular posts in Mexico will resume normal operations 
on Monday, May 11; some nonimmigrant visa applicants will be seen on 
Thursday and Friday, May 7 and 8.  All nonimmigrant visa applicants 
will be contacted directly by the scheduling service about their 
rescheduled appointments.  Immigrant visa appointments will resume 
normal operations on Monday, May 18. 
 
¶8.  (U) CONSULATE ISSUES 
------------------------ 
CIUDAD JUAREZ:  There are 4 confirmed cases of swine flu in 
Chihuahua.  Since April 25, state health authorities have processed 
90 possible cases of swine flu in Ciudad Juarez - - 2 tested 
positive for swine flu, 32 were negative, 17 tested positive for 
seasonal flu, and 39 are pending laboratory results. 
CDC reported to Post on May 6 that there are 19 possible and 7 
confirmed cases of swine flu in El Paso County, six of which are 
school-aged children.  All patients are recovering without 
complications.  The CDC said that most of the individuals confirmed 
to have swine flu in El Paso had not traveled to Mexico, suggesting 
that they contracted the virus through secondary transmission.  The 
number of new possible cases referred by Customs and Border Patrol 
(CBP) from international bridges in El Paso continues to trend 
downward.  El Paso County announced that it has no plans to close 
schools due to the swine flu. 
 
The U.S. Consulate General reopened on Wednesday, May 6, 2009. 
Non-immigrant visa services will reopen slowly from May 6 to May 8, 
with full operations resuming on May 11.  Immigrant visa services 
will resume on May 18.  Panel physicians will re-open the week of 
May 11 to receive applicants with appointments the week of May 18. 
 
 
GUADALAJARA:  Governor Emilio Gonzalez maintains that Jalisco 
remains H1N1 free but acknowledges 9 probable cases are still being 
studied.  To date, Jalisco has referred approximately 300 cases for 
examination.  Most universities reopened today, but the University 
of Guadalajara and all grammar schools remain closed. University of 
Guadalajara scientists reported today that, although the daily 
reported number of new cases in DF has declined, the danger has not 
passed and new cases are likely to increase in other Mexican 
states. 
 
As Jalisco prepares to resume cultural activities and re-open its 
cinemas, the government is examining ways to continue to improve 
preventative sanitary measures. Political campaigns opened 
officially today, but with restrictions on public gatherings. 
Nevertheless, campaign activities were witnessed over the weekend. 
RSO reports police checkpoints on major highways over the weekend to 
diminish the potential spread of H1N1. Police checked the 
temperature of travelers and questioned them.  NIV handled 
approximately 20 cases today. These cases were applicants who could 
 
MEXICO 00001250  003 OF 005 
 
 
not be reached when the consulate closure was communicated. ACS 
handled their normal work load plus the remaining cases from last 
week. They reported that nearly every applicant requested emergency 
processing.  Additionally, they reported an increase in the number 
of cases referred to fraud. 
 
 
HERMOSILLO:  Sinaloa reports no confirmed cases of H1N1 influenza. 
Sonora reports two laboratory confirmed reports of H1N1 influenza: 
a 15 year old boy in Hermosillo who has recovered and an 8 year old 
boy receiving treatment for the flu at the DIF hospital for children 
in Hermosillo.  This is his third day fever free and he is expected 
to be released in the next 48 hours.  It is believed that both cases 
were contracted while the Mexican children were visiting in the 
U.S. 
 
MATAMOROS: Matamoros reported 36 suspected cases of H1N1 flu. 
Matamoros officials closed a popular beach amid growing concerns 
over the H1N1 flu through May 6. Tamaulipas Governor Eugenio 
Hernandez said that the swine flu is entering a "phase of control". 
Across the river, the Texas Rio Grande Valley is recording its first 
death from the H1N1 flu or "swine flu". State health officials are 
reporting a 33-year-old Harlingen woman, who had underlying health 
conditions, died from the virus this week. The woman's diagnosis 
makes her the second confirmed case of the H1N1 flu in Cameron 
County and the 61st in the state. 
 
MERIDA:  Hotel occupancy continues its downward trajectory. 
According to the Hotel Association, occupancy in Cancun is now at 
23.9 percent.  The Governor of Quintana Roo announced today that 
state wide hotel occupancy (including Cancun and the Rivera Maya) is 
at 15%.  The Cancun Airport is expecting 181 flights (86 domestic 
and 95 international) for today and has already received 34 
cancellations.  Occupancy on arriving flights remains very low. 
Cruise lines have announced that they are suspending traffic to the 
ports of Progresso, Yucatan and Cozumel and Majahual in Quintana Roo 
through June 15.  In Yucatan, cinemas, shopping malls and museums 
will re-open today.  Restaurants, cinemas, etc. are all limiting 
capacity and enforcing density restrictions.  The State predicts 
that its "sanitary fence" of health checkpoints will continue 
through the month.   The public remains calm but concerned about 
long term economic impact. 
Quintana Roo now confirms 11 cases of H1N1.  One of these involves a 
USC who was previously reported as negative for H1N1.  A subsequent 
sample has now come back positive (reported in more detail to 
CA/OCS).    Consulate and Consular Agency staff and EFMs remain 
calm. We will contact a regularly scheduled radio check tonight. 
The Consulate and Consular Agencies reopened today with limited 
public services.  There is a very low level of phone calls.  We plan 
to open limited visa services, starting tomorrow. 
 
MONTERREY:  The consular district is getting back to work as 
government offices and businesses open, and the government cleans 
the schools in preparation for the students returning to classes. 
Nuevo Leon and San Luis Potosi are moving ahead with plans for local 
universities to receive training so that they can test for H1N1 flu 
to overcome delays and backlogs in testing flu samples.  Nuevo Leon 
disclosed that there are four confirmed cases of H1N1 flu in the 
state based on samples taken April 26.  All four patients are 
recovering well, but due to the delay in test results, none of them 
received H1N1 medications.  Zacatecas has also disclosed 33 
confirmed H1N1 cases (they had been silent for several days).  Fifty 
percent of the Zacatecas H1N1 patients are between 16 and 30 years 
old.  San Luis Potosi (SLP) has 58 confirmed cases of H1N1 flu, and 
one confirmed death. 
 
Consulate Monterrey opened for business, although non-emergency visa 
processing will not resume until Monday, May 11.  Monterrey's NIV 
Section will reopen for interviews May 7-8 for applicants who have 
already been enrolled at the offsite Applicant Services Center.  NIV 
staff are working with the CSC scheduling team to give priority May 
12-14 to H2 temporary worker applicants, with up to 1,200 H2 
interview slots opened those days.   ACS has resumed regular 
appointment schedule for passport and citizenship cases. The 
Consulate discussed the need for timelier processing of suspected 
H1N1 samples for patients and will explore linking local authorities 
to U.S. medical experts.  The Consulate publicized the Embassy's 
 
MEXICO 00001250  004 OF 005 
 
 
4:00 virtual town hall meeting.  There are no suspected cases of 
H1N1 flu among FSO or LES staff or their dependents. 
 
Nuevo Leon business leaders were critical of the government's plan 
to reduce taxes to support businesses hurt by H1N1 flu closing.  The 
Nuevo Leon maquila association noted that 76% of maquilas closed 
during the May 1-5 period, higher than in other areas and protested 
the fines given four maquilas which failed to close.  Some business 
will remain closed for some time, such as movies and nightclubs in 
Coahuila.  A Durango business leader said that while he could not 
calculate the economic losses, he expected the economy to recover 
quickly. 
 
 
NOGALES: CBP  NOGALES:  CBP reports normal northbound traffic at 
both Nogales ports of entry.  There are no H1N1 cases in Northern 
Sonora.  However, there a number of cases in Arizona border counties 
including:  ten confirmed cases in Pima County including four on 
Tohono O'odham Reservation; 11 confirmed cases in Yuma County; two 
confirmed cases in Santa Cruz County.  Post will resume operations 
gradually with full services in effect by Monday, May 11.   Post 
will contact outstanding H2s directly this week, rather than through 
CSC. They will aim for 50% of their normal capacity.  The Nogales 
Arizona school district is the only district in the State of Arizona 
to remain closed - despite latest CDC guidelines. 
 
 
Visa service NUEVO LAREDO:  The public is calm and many people 
continue to wear face masks. Restaurants and grocery stores remain 
open to the public. Bridge traffic to Laredo, TX seems to have 
resumed to normal levels.  There are still no confirmed cases of 
H1N1 in Neuvo Laredo but there is one confirmed case in Ciudad 
Victoria, Tamaulipas. According to the press conference given by 
Coahuila's Secretary of Health today at 1:00 p.m. there are 14 
suspected swine flu cases in Piedras Negras.  Of those 14 cases one 
is hospitalized. 
 
 
TIJUANA:  Baja California now has 18 confirmed cases of H1N1 flu, 
with the majority of cases in Mexicali.  All of the newly identified 
cases have received treatment and have recovered.  San Diego cases 
have risen to 27.  There is a possible cluster outbreak of more than 
50 cases on one of the navy vessels (the Dubuque) The three high 
schools which had closed have now re-opened, a week before it was 
planned.  Border crossings appear to be back at normal operation and 
wait times.  American Citizen Services is operating normally except 
for routine prison visits which have been postponed until next week. 
 NIV is processing reduced numbers of reduced visa applications, 
including referrals, emergencies, and group renewals whose 
appointments for Thursday and Friday had not been cancelled. 
 
MEXICO CITY CONSULAR DISTRICT:  Consular agents in the Mexico City 
Consular district report that daily life is returning to normal. 
Consular agents received less call volume over the weekend, life in 
the streets appear to be calmer and traffic is slowly increasing. 
Additionally, less people are wearing masks during their daily 
activities. 
 
¶9.  (U) MEDIA REACTION/GENERAL POPULATION SENTIMENTS 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
Coverage on May 6 of the H1N1 flu outbreak in the Mexican media 
focused on the stimulus packages to help the economy recover.  Some 
complained that the package is insufficient and that it is only a 
short-term solution, while others said it was a step in the right 
direction. The Secretary of Economy filed a suit before the World 
Trade Organization against trade restriction on Mexican products 
related to the influenza outbreak. 
 
Most media outlets also featured the story of the Mexican airplane 
sent to "rescue" more than a hundred Mexicans who had been 
quarantined in China. The Chinese embassy spoke in the media 
offering its side of the story. According to Chinese officials, the 
quarantine was not an act of discrimination but a means to stop the 
spreading of the virus given the dense population of China. The 
media celebrated that California health authorities recognized that 
the H1N1 virus probably did not originate in Mexico. They point out 
that the first reported case occurred in San Diego on March 30. The 
 
MEXICO 00001250  005 OF 005 
 
 
press also mentioned the second death of H1N1 influenza in the U.S. 
and the increase to 403 reported cases in the U.S. 
 
 
¶10.  (U) ECONOMIC IMPACT 
------------------------ 
Mission Mexico convened a conference call with the American Chamber 
and heads of various US businesses operating in Mexico, including 
from the energy, financial, transportation, and insurance sectors. 
The businesses expressed their relief that the worst appears to be 
over and commercial activity seems to be returning to normal. One 
leader called the business closures and other preventive measures a 
"good fire drill," and all thought the government's response to the 
outbreak was effective and appropriate. Some businesses are still 
restricting employees' travel to and from Mexico to avoid 
encountering problems. AmCham's expert economist commented that 
while it is too early to know the extent of the impact that the 
outbreak will have on Mexico's economy, the overall economic 
situation immediately prior to the outbreak was much worse than 
expected. Consequently, H1N1 has exacerbated an already serious 
situation, and while it is not quite the same as 1995, it is close. 
 
 
¶11.  (U) TRANSPORTATION 
----------------------- 
Alaska Airlines, which plans a 37% cut in Mexico service through 
autumn 2009, began shifting planes from Mexico routes to U.S. 
domestic routes where demand is greater. 
 
 
¶12.  (U) POLITICAL IMPACT 
------------------------- 
The official start of the campaigning season for congressional 
elections was Sunday May 3.  Reports indicate that all political 
parties are showing solidarity with the measures implemented by the 
government to combat the influenza outbreak.  The government has 
strongly discouraged large rallies and political parties have 
adjusted their campaigning schedule to abide by this directive.  As 
a result, candidates have turned to innovative ways to reach the 
public.  Several candidates launched webcasts or facebook, YouTube, 
and twitter sites on the first official day of campaigning. 
Additionally, political parties in some areas handed out protective 
masks imprinted with candidates' slogans and party logos. A looming 
concern is that voter turnout could be H1N1 influenza's next victim 
because most candidates feel that the web is no substitute for 
old-fashioned rallies and canvassing in a country full of remote 
villages and unconnected working class communities. 
 
 
¶13.  (U) U.S. ASSISTANCE 
------------------------ 
 
The GOM has invited the Charge, and senior CDC and OFDA 
representatives to a Ceremony of Appreciation at the Secretariat of 
Health on May 7. 
 
BASSETT