Able and willing to destroy
Mexico City: A new swine flu strain that has killed as many as 68 people and sickened more than 1,000 across Mexico has "pandemic potential," the World Health Organization chief said Saturday, and it may be too late to contain the sudden outbreak.
The disease has already reached Texas and California, and with 24 new suspected cases reported Saturday in Mexico City alone, schools were closed and all public events suspended in the capital until further notice - including more than 500 concerts and other gatherings in the metropolis of 20 million.
A hot line fielded 2,366 calls in its first hours from frightened city residents who suspected they might have the disease. Soldiers and health workers handed out masks at subway stops, and hospitals dealt with crowds of people seeking help.
Image: Mariachi musicians wear surgical masks as they walk past the Garibaldi Plaza in Mexico City, Saturday, April 25, 2009. Mexico City canceled hundreds of public concerts, sporting events and meetings on Saturday as authorities in this overcrowded capital tried to contain an outbreak of a deadly new form of swine flu that world health officials warn could become a pandemic.
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