Mexico and China in swine flu row
A row is growing between Mexico and China over Beijing's treatment of Mexicans travelling to China following the recent swine flu outbreak.
Mexican officials said their citizens were being unfairly confined. The Mexican ambassador was denied access to a group being held at a Beijing hotel.
China says the steps it has taken are lawful and justified. Some 400 people have been quarantined in China since the virus was confirmed in a man who arrived from Mexico.
Most are in the Metropark hotel in Hong Kong, where the infected man checked in, but the number also includes his fellow passengers.
No-one else has displayed any symptoms. Mexico has now confirmed 19 fatalities from the virus, but officials said it appeared that the outbreak could be leveling off.
Access denied
Mexicans are being held in hotels and other sites across China, including in Shanghai and Hong Kong.
Ambassador Jorge Guajardo said many of them had no connection with the Shanghai-Hong Kong flight which carried the infected Mexican man. "We are objecting to the fact that they are holding Mexicans in isolation for fear that they might have the flu virus, even though they have no signs of having the flu virus," he said. Mr Guajardo tried to visit 10 Mexicans quarantined in Beijing's Guo Men hotel but was denied access by Chinese officials. [They may be afraid of getting infected] On Saturday Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa criticized China, along with Peru, Argentina, Cuba and Ecuador, for cutting flights to Mexico. [ They just want to stop the spreading] She also urged Mexicans to avoid travel to China, accusing its government of discrimination for the quarantine measures.
Chinese Ministry of Health spokesman Mao Qunan said extra protection was needed after the virus reached Hong Kong.
"The confirmation of this case clearly raised the risks of A-H1N1 flu entering our country," he said, quoted by state media.
He said the ministry had ordered for all those in "close contact" with the virus to be put under "protective control".
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Swine flu
Mexico sends plane to rescue 70 citizens caught up in swine flu row with China Chartered plane will bring home Mexicans targeted by 'repressive and discriminatory measures' to combat swine flu in China
Mexico dispatched a chartered plane yesterday to bring home its citizens from China where it said they had been targets of "repressive and discriminatory measures" due to the swine flu outbreak. [Can’t help because Mexico is a transmissible country and has the highest infected number]
The diplomatic row over Beijing's handling of the disease came as Mexico said it would allow the reopening of cafes and restaurants and the resumption of most economic activity from tomorrow after recording a fall in new cases.
The World Health Organisation said it was too early to say the worst was over and voiced concern that the virus could spread into the southern hemisphere as winter sets in. "We're not quite certain how it will evolve," said Dr Keiji Fukuda, the WHO's top flu expert.
The head of the WHO, Margaret Chan, yesterday suggested the pandemic alert would eventually move to level six, its highest level, which would mean a global pandemic was in full effect.
"Level six does not mean, in any way, that we are facing the end of the world. It is important to make this clear because [otherwise] when we announce level six it will cause unnecessary panic," she told Spain's El País newspaper. [If afraid of causing unnecessary panic then why have to move to level six?]
Chinese authorities say they have not targeted people on nationality alone, saying many of those isolated arrived in the country on the same inbound flight as the country's first swine flu patient, a 25-year-old Mexican man, who flew through Shanghai on the way to Hong Kong.
Hong Kong's authorities imposed a week-long quarantine on the hotel where he had been staying, locking in 350 guests and staff, and tracked down the other 128 people on the plane and two taxi drivers who had contact with the Mexican.
But the Mexican ambassador to China, Jorge Guajardo, said today that more than 70 citizens had been quarantined elsewhere in China, none of whom had symptoms. Many had been singled out "for the sole fact that 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", Guajardo told the Associated Press.
Those affected also included the Mexican consul in Guangzhou, who was briefly held after returning from a holiday in Cambodia. He was released after checks.
The Mexican president, Felipe Calderón, said: "I think it's unfair that, because we have been honest and transparent with the world, some countries and places are taking repressive and discriminatory measures because of ignorance and disinformation." [But you also have to understand about other countries’ feeling too. They are trying their best to prevent it]
Mexico foreign minister, Patricia Espinosa, told a radio station the plane sent to China would offer repatriation for about 70 Mexicans, many of whom she said were being kept in a sub-standard hotel "where they fear they may catch other diseases".
China is seeking to organise a plane to fly its nationals out of Mexico, but its efforts have been complicated because Beijing suspended commercial flights between the two countries on Saturday.
The foreign ministry in Beijing said it hoped Mexico would deal with the issue in "an objective and calm manner".
Spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said: "The relevant measures are not targeted at Mexican citizens and are not discriminatory." The WHO said it was holding talks with Beijing on the appropriate response to the flu outbreak.
China is one of 18 countries to have imposed partial or total bans on pork imports from Mexico, some US states and parts of Canada. Meanwhile, Egypt carried out a cull of pigs despite demonstrations by the Coptic Christian minority who are its principal consumers of pork.
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Mexico citizens quarantined in China evacuated
An Aero Mexico plane arrived in Shanghai on Tuesday to repatriate dozens of Mexicans who have become pawns in a drama about how far governments should go to stifle fears that the H1N1 virus could cross their borders. None of the 43 Mexicans that Beijing quarantined had shown symptoms of the virus, prompting Mexico to accuse China of being "discriminatory."Chinese health inspectors and officials check an Aeromexico plane after it landed at Pudong International Airport in Shanghai May 5, 2009. The Aeromexico plane arrived in Shanghai on Tuesday to repatriate dozens of Mexicans held under forced flu quarantine, as a Chinese aircraft left for Mexico to pick up its own stranded nationals.
The row has strained what had been a warming relationship but, with Beijing courting Latin America as a trade and diplomatic partner, the damage appears unlikely to last.
Mexico is considered the epicenter of the flu outbreak, which has infected more than 1,200 people in 21 countries over the past week, sparking fears of a global pandemic.
To date, 27 deaths have been officially confirmed -- 26 in Mexico and one in the United States -- though more than 100 are suspected to have died from the flu.
Other flu-affected nations also have citizens caught in China’s quarantine measures. A spokesman for the U.S. embassy in Beijing, Richard Buangan, said at least four U.S. citizens were quarantined at one point "but most of them have been released“. The United States had not issued any protest over the matter, he said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu told a news conference 25 Canadian students were also in quarantine in a northeast Chinese city, but had shown no flu symptoms.
An official with the Canadian embassy in Beijing said his government knew of the quarantine in a hotel in Changchun, but he put the number of students affected at 22.
"We’ve asked for clarification about the purpose of the quarantine,“ said the official, who spoke on condition his name was not used.
The students from the University of Montreal came to China last week for language study, according to Canadian news reports.
The one Mexican in China found with H1N1 arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday via Shanghai. Some 300 guests and staff remained quarantined in a Hong Kong hotel where he had stayed.
Experts fear a global pandemic
China has denied Mexico’s charges of discrimination, saying isolation was the correct procedure. [Agreed Safety first]
China’s vast population and patchy medical infrastructure make it vulnerable should the virus take hold.
However, the Mexican Embassy’s spokeswoman said that even Mexicans residing outside their country were kept in quarantine.
A chartered flight sent by the Chinese government left Mexico City early on Tuesday with 79 Chinese nationals aboard. China has suspended direct scheduled flights to Mexico. Police closed roads to clear the way for around 28 ambulances ferrying the Mexicans, including a honeymooning couple, to the Shanghai airport, accompanied by quarantine officials in white or blue full-body protective suits.
The Mexicans went through customs and exit procedures at a temporary outdoors post before boarding the repatriation flight. None of those quarantined had shown any signs of being infected, the Chinese Health Ministry said, and Xinhua said six Mexican students studying in China had "volunteered to stay“.
A group of Mexicans in Beijing were doing well inside a hotel where they have been confined, Xinhua said, though the air conditioning has been turned off to prevent any spread of disease despite temperatures reaching 30 degrees Celsius (86 F) outside.
They were put in the best rooms and sent fruit and flowers every day, Xinhua said, citing Deng Xiaohong, deputy director of Beijing Municipal Health Bureau.
In a further diplomatic tussle, Canada said it would pursue World Trade Organization action against China if it maintains its ban on pork and hogs from the province of Alberta.
China’s Foreign Ministry said it was within its rights to take emergency health measures.
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My reaction: The swine flu strained relationship between Mexico and China. The swine flu not only affects people’s health, but also affects relationship between Mexico and other countries. This is a big issue because it can cause a conflict among countries all around the world with Mexico.
1.) Mexican officials said their citizens were being unfairly confined.
2.)China held Mexicans in hotel even though they had no connection with Shanghai-Hong Kong flight which carried the infected Mexican man.
3.)China did not allow the Mexican ambassador to visit people who were held at the hotel.
4.)Foreign Minister criticized China, along with Peru, Argentina, Cuba and Ecuador, for cutting flights to Mexico and urged Mexicans to avoid travel to China, accusing its government of discrimination for the quarantine measures.
5.)Mexico dispatched a chartered plane to bring home its citizens from China where it said they had been targets of "repressive and discriminatory measures"
6.)WHO suggested the pandemic alert would be moved to level six which will cause unnecessary panic
7.)China is one of 18 countries that ban imported pork from Mexico.
8.)China also sent repatriation flight to Mexico to pick up 79 Chinese nationals.
Conclusion: According to the spreading of swine flu which has an impact on every countries of the world, it has become the most concern issue. Moreover, the number of infected does not seem to be decreasedbut in contrast.
In addition, swine flu also cause a conflict between Mexico and other countries due to the status of Mexico as a swine flu transmissible country. Therefore, there are many countries that avoid contacting with Mexico which Mexico absolutely disagree with this idea. Now, Peru, Argentina, Cuba and Ecuador already cut flight to Mexico. Furthermore, Mexico also warns Mexicans to avoid traveling to China in order to keep away from accusing infected. Besides cutting flight and avoid contacting with Mexico, there are 18 more countries that have banned imported pork from Mexico due to the flu's development which transform from pig flu to swine flu.
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