MEXICO CITY — Global health authorities warned Wednesday that swine flu was threatening to bloom into a pandemic, and the virus spread farther in Europe even as the outbreak appeared to stabilize at its epicenter. A toddler who succumbed in Texas became the first death outside Mexico.
Mexico, taking a drastic step as confirmed swine-flu cases roughly doubled to 99, including eight dead, announced it would temporarily suspend all nonessential activity of the federal government and private business from Friday through Tuesday. Essential services such as transport, supermarkets, trash collection and hospitals will remain open.
New deaths finally seemed to be leveling off after an aggressive public-health campaign in Mexico — only one additional confirmed death was announced Wednesday night. But the World Health Organization said the global threat is nevertheless serious enough to ramp up efforts to produce a vaccine against the virus.
“It really is all of humanity that is under threat during a pandemic,” WHO Director General Margaret Chan said in Geneva. “We do not have all the answers right now, but we will get them.”
It was the first time the WHO had declared a Phase 5 outbreak, the second highest on its threat scale, indicating a pandemic could be imminent.
The first U.S. death from the outbreak was a Mexico City toddler who traveled to Texas with family and died Monday night at a Houston hospital. U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius predicted the child would not be the last U.S. death from swine flu.
The virus, a mix of pig, bird and human viral genes to which people have limited natural immunity, had spread to at least nine countries. In the United States, nearly 100 have been sickened in 11 states.
Eight states close schools
Colorado officials were still awaiting results Wednesday from five specimens sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The nasal swabs were collected from patients in the state with flu strains that could not be identified by local hospitals or the state health department.
By next week, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment expects to begin testing specimens. The CDC has trained a Colorado lab worker to conduct the tests and is sending test kits that can identify the swine-flu strain.
Eight states closed schools Wednesday, affecting 53,000 students in Texas alone, and President Barack Obama said wider school closings might be necessary. Mexico has already closed schools nationwide until at least May 6.
“Every American should know that the federal government is prepared to do whatever is necessary to control the impact of this virus,” Obama said, highlighting his request for $1.5 billion in emergency funding for vaccines.
Just north of the Mexican border, 39 Marines were being confined to their California base after one contracted swine flu. Senators questioned Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano about her decision not to close the border, action she said “has not been merited by the facts.”
168 suspected deaths
In addition to the 168 suspected deaths, the virus is believed to have sickened 2,498 people across Mexico. But only 1,311 suspected swine-flu patients remained hospitalized, and a closer look at daily admissions and deaths at Mexico’s public hospitals suggests the outbreak may have peaked during three grim days last week when thousands of people complained of flu symptoms.
Scientists believe that somewhere in the world, months or even a year ago, a pig virus jumped to a human and mutated, and has been spreading between humans ever since. Unlike with bird flu, doctors have no evidence suggesting a direct pig-to-human infection from this strain, which is why they haven’t recommended killing pigs.
Medical detectives have not zeroed in on where the outbreak began. One of the eight deaths in Mexico directly attributed to swine flu was that of a Bangladeshi immigrant, said Mexico’s chief epidemiologist, who suggested that someone could have brought the virus from Pakistan or Bangladesh.
Swine flu has symptoms nearly identical to regular flu — fever, cough and sore throat — and spreads like regular flu.
Authorities have sought to keep the crisis in context. In the U.S. alone, health officials say about 36,000 people die every year from flu-related causes.
Denver Post staff writer Jennifer Brown contributed to this report.
Officials on webcast
WASHINGTON — U.S. health officials want to hear from ordinary people worried about the new swine flu. Today, the nation’s top officials dealing with the flu emergency will host a webcast taking questions directly from the public.
To participate, e-mail questions to hhsstudio@hhs.gov, and then go online at 11 a.m. MDT to or .
Ready to answer will be Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
