Swine Flu: An Overview of Mexico

By Guillermo Noriega Esparza
Published: 2009-05-05

Portuguese José Saramago once wrote about a rare epidemic in a city with no name: a white blindness spreading rapidly people to people. Those infected were detained and held in shelters amidst chaos…

"Blindness" is my favorite novel, but I never thought it could come near to reality, and that my country, Mexico, would be the setting.

Last Saturday a Presidential Executive Order gave new attributions to the Health Ministry; from now on, government can go inside our homes without a judicial order if its necessary to stop the epidemic, they can arrest in a preventive way and, generally, suspended some constitutional guarantees to anyone with swine flu symptoms.

Here in Mexico we live in between two extremes: those who don't pay attention to emergencies, thinking they are an overreaction, and those who live submerged in psychosis.

Officially all meetings, public events, crowded places, even theatres, masses and weddings, have been outlawed. That includes the temporary closure of restaurants in Mexico City, impacting more than half of million workers. It's why one of the largest and most populated cities on the planet looks as lonely as ever.

People wear masks to cover mouth and nose. Because of the huge demand, they and thermometers are scarce.

It is precisely the image of the Mexican Army on the streets providing masks to the population that gives anyone the idea of the emergency level.

All schools have been closed (public or private) at all levels; the country's capital, one of the largest and most populated cities worldwide, looks abandoned. People are hoarding supplies in a panic.

Mexicans have stopped flying as a preventive measure. Even I had to cancel a trip to Peru to attend The Americas Conference On the Right to Access Information, organized by the the Carter Center and The Organization of Americans States.

Mexico City's airport (the largest in Latin America) is still open, but Spain, Cuba, Argentina and Ecuador are cancelling flights from and to Mexico and, other countries strongly recommend travelers stay away.

And thus the economy is in its darkest hour, as if we were not already suffering from the world economic crisis, it will fall an additional 8 percent. The exchange rate with the American dollar is once again a problem, pushing prices up. The National Gross Product (NGP) will fall at least 5 percent and the Mexican Values Market has fallen almost everyday.

Meanwhile, there are some processes that the swine flu won't stop: war on drugs, which rages everyday; strikes at copper mines; and human rights. And two days ago a 5.6 magnitude earthquake in Mexico City added to the climate of fear.

Hysteria is common as sneezing is now almost a social crime. The best example of mass paranoia are emails been sent "analyzing" swine flu as a plot organized in the developed countries to push international economy.

Others talk about bioterrorism.

However, most wish to think earth is defending itself from all the damage humanity has caused on it.

This is an overview of Mexico.

A country with 60 percent of its population living in poverty and, as well, last years' richest man in the world. A country of inequity, where poor are those who suffer most and are more vulnerable to this sort of problem.

This is my country now - already struggling to survive against its everyday problems, and a highly dangerous epidemic with devastating consequences.

The author of "Blindness" gave us a glimpse of the human behavior in a chaotic environment. Now, in Mexico, even if it looks like that is barely beginning, we expect this nightmare to stop soon, and maybe, leave it to literature and fiction.
 

Guillermo Noriega Esparza:
Columnist of 'El Imparcial' newspaper in Hermosillo, México; Political analyst specialized in transparency and fighting corruption. Presenter of the radio show "Transparency on Air" in Radio Bemba FM. Contact:guillermonoriega@gmail.com