9:57am UK, Monday May 04, 2009

China has defended its tough quarantine measures against Mexican tourists as the World Health Organisation urged countries to remain vigilant over a swine flu outbreak.

Doctors in Mexico wear bio-hazard protection suits

Mexico has said it is finally getting the upper hand on the flu epidemic and is poised to lift a crippling economic shutdown on public venues and activities.

Laboratory tests have shown 590 firm cases of the virus so far in Mexico, of which 22 people are confirmed to have died.

President Felipe Calderon said: “We have been able to hold or at least reduce the rate of propagation of the virus to contain the epidemic.”

But new cases of the virus are still being tracked across the world and the WHO warned countries not to lower their response to the outbreak.

Beijing and Hong Kong quickly shifted into crisis management mode on Friday after a Mexican man visiting Asia was confirmed as the region’s first swine flu case.

But Mexico has labelled the quarantine measures “discriminatory”.

Hong Kong imposed a week-long quarantine on the hotel where the 25-year-old man stayed, trapping 350 guests and employees inside.

Chinese health officials also tracked down and quarantined 128 of the man’s fellow passengers.

Mexican ambassador to China, Jorge Guajardo, said Chinese officials rounded up over 70 Mexicans indiscriminately across China including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Tianjin.

In one case, a Mexican couple and their three small children were taken from their Beijing hotel room at 4am and transported to a hospital, he said.

None of those in isolation has presented symptoms and most had no contact with infected persons or places, Mr Guajardo added.

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“In many cases, we have got reports they were being quarantined for the sole fact they had a Mexican passport, whether or not they came from Mexico, whether or not they had been in Mexico, whether or not they had been in contact with someone else from Mexico,” he went on.

President Calderon has expressed dismay that “some countries or places are taking discriminatory measures because of ignorance and misinformation”.

Mexican officials said they plan to charter an Aeromexico plane to take home any Mexican citizens who want to leave China.

China’s foreign ministry said Mexicans were not being singled out and added it hoped Mexico would “address the issue in an objective and calm manner”.

“The relevant measures are not targeted at Mexican citizens, and are not discriminatory. This is purely a question of health inspection and quarantine,” it said in a statement.

Meanwhile, South Korea confirmed Asia’s second case over the weekend, but said the woman – a nun who had visited Mexico – had already recovered.

Officials have confirmed two new cases of swine flu in France.

Spain raised the number of confirmed swine flu cases to 44 and has 67 people under observation.

New Zealand reported a fifth confirmed case of the virus which mixes swine, avian and human flu strains, along with 12 probable cases.

It comes 10 days after a group of high school students returned from Mexico with the first confirmed cases of the illness, sparking a nationwide alert.

Earlier, Turkey denied media reports that a patient who died in hospital was a victim of swine flu.

The virus has been confirmed in: Mexico, the US, Canada, Spain, the UK, Germany, New Zealand, Italy, France, Israel, South Korea, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ireland, Switzerland, Austria, Hong Kong, Denmark and Holland.