Report on swine flu in Mexico City: Thursday, April 29

BY JOHNNY HAZARD

Classes have been canceled since last Friday. The government is imposing a more draconian phase within a few hours, which may mean I can’t find an internet joint. I think the flu is real but limited, and I don’t believe in the efficacy of the extreme and erratic measures being taken. The city government has closed all restaurants (though I hooked up today with a good place that’s not following orders), and as of tomorrow the government is ordering a super-long weekend of nothing, linking May Day with Cinco de Mayo. The former is a real holiday; the latter is not, and of course all the days in between aren’t. Officially, school is canceled till the 6th, though I imagine they’ll extend this, too. I’m making good use of the time, but it’s relatively useless, really.

No one knows anyone who’s sick. The government now calls it “influenza porcina CURABLE,” but doesn’t let up on the measures. Closing restaurants was supposedly to reduce dense concentrations of people, but where there are much more intense crowds, the Metro and the busses, there’s no cancellation. I may not have access to internet during these days, either, as I don’t have it at home and everywhere that does have it may be closed. I’m just gonna paint part of my house, try to garden a spot on a boulevard near my house, record some music on Saturday morning, etc. I’m taking advantage of the lack of traffic and the immense reduction in air pollution to take long bike rides and see new places. The reduction in air pollution is reducing the number of routine cold symptoms that tend to plague (like that word?) the population.


One theory beginning to circulate is that a similar illness was incubating in La Perota or La Gloria, Veracruz, since January near the site of an industrial pig farm operated by Granjas Carroll, local pseudonym of Smithfield, a U.S. pork producer. I suspect that when U.S. activists made noise they began setting up operations in Eastern European and “third world” countries. One-third of the adults in La Gloria got sick with this kind of respiratory ailment during January and February, and two or three babies died. Someone sent me an article from The Indep-endent about it, and other info is available in English. No one has explicitly made the claim that this communing of human beings with pork waste caused the mutation into swine flu, but it’s an interesting angle.

Another thing: the head of epidemiology in the Depart-ment of Health (national) says the idea of wearing mouth coverings (they’re called tapibocas or cubribocas here—I don’t know what they’re called in English; before, I said surgical masks, but that implies something stronger) wasn’t from the government, and that they haven’t discouraged their use BECAUSE IT REASSURES PEOPLE, though he admits they’re too porous to offer real protection, and that they’re silly on the street because the virus isn’t flying around looking for a person to land on. Some say it’s useful to put them on in public transportation.
The number of “verified” deaths vacillates from 7 to 121.