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Some fear flu rebound as Mexico seeks 'normalcy'

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-05-05 08:26

Full coverage:  A（H1N1） Influenza Outbreak Related readings: Mexico flu ebbing, lowers alert level H1N1 flu cases pass 1,000 mark Mexican boy recovers from H1N1 flu No flu sign on quarantined passengers so far Swine flu less deadly than first feared

MEXICO CITY -- Mexico announced a return to "normalcy" on Monday, preparing to reopen businesses and schools even as the virus sickened more than 1,200 people in 20 countries.

World health officials said the global epidemic is still in its early stages, and that a pandemic could be declared in the days to come.

But Mexico's president said it was waning at its epicenter, justifying Wednesday's end to a five-day nationwide shutdown he credits for reducing the spread of the new virus.

Already, streets in the capital seemed more lively, with more vehicles and fewer people wearing face masks. Some cafes even reopened ahead of time. President Felipe Calderon said universities and high schools will reopen on Thursday, and younger schoolchildren should report back to school on May 11.

A couple embraces as they wear masks as a precaution against A (H1N1) flu in the subway in Mexico City, Monday, May 4, 2009. [Agencies]

"The school schedule will resume with the guarantee that our educational institutions are in adequate hygienic condition," promised Calderon, who called on parents to join educators in a "collective" cleansing and inspection of schools nationwide.

"This is about going back to normalcy but with everyone taking better care," Calderon said.

But experts inside Mexico's A (H1N1) flu crisis center warned that the virus remains active throughout Mexico and could bounce back once millions return to work and school. It also may get worse north of the border.

"The bottom line is that there hasn't been time for the severe illnesses to perhaps show up in the US yet," Marc-Alain Widdowson, a medical epidemiologist from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The Associated Press.

Experts in the US also urged caution, even as a New York City school reopened Monday after a spring break trip to Mexico led to as many as 1,000 people being sickened.

"We are by no means out of the woods," said Dr. Richard Besser, acting director of the CDC.

Health Secretary Jose Cordova insisted that A (H1N1) flu infections are trending downward after 27 deaths at the center of the epidemic. But other experts said the known cases are almost certainly only a fraction of what's out there, meaning more illnesses could surface once crowds gather again in Mexico.

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