SWINE FLU UPDATE 5 PM: 68 Cases In US, 152 Deaths In MX
JUAREZ — No individual has tested positive for Swine Flu in Juarez or in the state of Chihuahua, Chihuahua State Health Officials said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
XHIJ Channel 44 in Juarez is reportingbarand clubowners held a protest to rally against the governor’s decision to shut then downuntil May 6th. Alcoholic beverages can be consumed in restaurants WITH food, and only up until midnight. The owners said thedecision would hurt them economically in an already difficult economic climate. The U.S. consulate in Mexico said it will stop issuing visas until Wednesday May 5.
Juarez Mayor Jose ReyesFerriz has shutdown pools and water parks until May 6th. Officials at the Cereso Prison havebanned access to children, minors and the elderly to the prison. Only one adult per inmate will be allowed in until further notice, officials said.
MEXICO CITY (AP) – All nine Mexican first-division soccer games this weekend will be played behind closed doors, a move aimed at stemming the spread of swine flu.
MEXICO CITY (AP) – Mexico ordered restaurants to limit service to takeout on Tuesday and closed pool halls and gyms, as swine flu crossed new borders overseas and in the United States, where at least 64 people have been infected by the illness.
DEATHS: All 152 suspected Swine Flu deaths are in Mexico. Officials say 20 have been confirmed as Swine Flu-related.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Federal officials warned on Tuesday that swine-flu related deaths were likely in the United States as the disease that killed scores in Mexico continued to spread across the world and governments intensified steps to battle the outbreak.
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Swine flu has been ruled out as the cause of one of two recent deaths being investigated by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – At least 17 schools have closed for the week and thousands of Texas students are missing school on an important day of standardized state tests because of swine flu fears.
NEW YORK (AP) – A New York City official says “many hundreds”of students are sick at school hit by a swine flu outbreak. Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said Tuesday that the cases are not confirmed as swine flu. But the students have the same symptoms as the confirmed cases.
ATLANTA (AP) – Federal health officials say the number of confirmed swine flu cases in the United States has jumped to 64, and states say there are at least four more.
“I fully expect we will see deaths from this infection,” as swine flu cases are investigated, said Richard Besser, acting director of the federal Centers for Disease Control.
The CDC says there are 17 new cases in New York City, four more in Texas and three additional cases in California. That brings the total numbers of cases confirmed by federal officials to 45 in New York City, 10 in California, six in Texas, two in Kansas and one in Ohio.
HAVANA (AP) – Cuba is suspending flights to and from Mexico as a precaution against the spread of swine flu. Cuba has no reported cases of the flu.
MIAMI (AP) – Carnival Cruise Lines has suspended stops at Mexican ports over concerns about swine flu. The company says it canceled Mexico stops for three ships scheduled to visit the country Tuesday. It hasn’t yet announced a decision on future stops there.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Oil prices fell for a second straight day Tuesday on fears that the outbreak of swine flu would delay an economic recovery and further dampen energy demand.
Benchmark crude for June delivery slipped 22 cents to settle at $49.92 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract Monday fell $1.41 to settle at $50.14.
