Feds: Expect US Deaths From Swine Flu

(NEWSER) - The US is now confirming 40 cases of swine flu, while the death toll in Mexico is thought to have risen to 149, the Wall Street Journal reports. Of more than a thousand suspected cases in Mexico, only 26 have been confirmed, along with six in Canada and one in Spain, the WHO reports. The European Union's health commissioner warned today against traveling to North America "unless it is very urgent." The US' Centers for Disease Control, however, called that pronouncement unwarranted. More»

Mexico cuts flu death toll; virus fails to spread in flu-hit US cities

(NEWSER) - Officials in Mexico and the US remain cautious about the swine flu outbreak but say it appears to be less of a threat than first thought, the New York Times reports. In Mexico, less than half of suspected cases have turned out to be the H1N1 virus, very few relatives of victims have been infected and the estimated death toll has been cut to 101. More»

(NEWSER) - Continental Airlines said today it will begin cutting flights to Mexico on Monday because of the swine flu outbreak, the Houston Chronicle reports. The airline will cancel 180 of its 450 weekly flights and use smaller planes. As the number of confirmed cases in the US rose to 141 in 19 states, President Obama urged caution but said he's "optimistic that we're going to be able to manage this effectively," the Washington Post reports. More»

(NEWSER) - Mexico's top medical official told the AP that he's hopeful swine flu has begun to wane in his nation. "The fact that we have a stabilization in the daily numbers, even a drop, makes us optimistic," said Jose Angel Cordova. "We think we're on the right track." An official from the World Health Organization, however, cautioned that fluctuations are normal and that it's far too early to celebrate. In the US, meanwhile, the number of cases confirmed by the CDC rose slightly to 114 in 12 states, notes the New York Times. More»

Calderón orders citizens to stay home for 5 days

(NEWSER) - The Mexican president told citizens to stay home tomorrow through May 5 for a five-day partial shutdown of the country's economy to reduce the risk of spreading swine flu, Reuters reports. In his first televised address since the outbreak, Felipe Calderón said that "there is no safer place than your own home," and ordered non-critical government offices and private businesses to shut. More»