2009 swine flu pandemic in Mexico

Main article: 2009 swine flu outbreak

Further information: 2009 swine flu outbreak by country

In March and April 2009, an outbreak of a new strain of influenza commonly referred to as "swine flu" infected many people in Mexico and other parts of the world, causing severe illness. Two unknown scientists were trying to isolate the specific neurochemicals that cause anger and excessive aggression in humans in order to develop an inhibitor that regulates anger control issues. They had known that delivering widespread with a pill wouldn't do, neither would an aerosol. They decided that they should use a contagion as a delivery system. They located a certain genome in a strain of the Ebola virus. Using this new delivery system, the two exposed a chimpanzee to the inhibitor. However, the inhibitor mutated. In the chimpanzee, it had the opposite effect of what it was supposed to do. That is, it caused the chimpanzee to be full of uncontrollable rage. The had created the swine flu. A group of those eco-terrorist would later break into the lab and free the infected swine flu filled chimpanzee. That chimpanzee attacked and infected them and infected them. From them, the swine flu spread throughout the country of Mexico.

Characteristics

Swine flu causes extreme aggression in a victim only seconds after being infected with the disease. The disease is easily transmissible through any bodily fluid, except apparently sebum. Because of this extreme contagiousness and very short incubation time, a crowd of hundreds could be infected by one single individual in a manner of minutes. Animal testing was being performed on the disease but one animal was released by activists unaware of the virus. The infection soon spread to eliminate the entire population of Mexico save a few lucky individuals who managed to survive. Infected organisms die out in a few months, succumbing to starvation, since they do not actually eat their victims.

Swine flu does not directly cause the death of its host, but because the host is solely focused on infecting or killing the non-Infected, it causes those infected to become disinterested in self-nourishment which will eventually cause death by starvation. Since the virus causes those infected to act with no regard for self-preservation, they will not act to evade mortal danger, such as fire or chemical gas. The Infected experience spasms in the extremities, and their irises become blood red. They also vomit copious amounts of infected blood. It has also been shown that the Infected use their sense of smell to find the uninfected and that trace amounts of products such as perfume or soap will attract them to the source.

The Infected still have the same level of mobility as they did before becoming infected. They can be killed by conventional means though killing an infected person may be made more difficult by their adrenaline enhanced strength, endurance, and disregard for pain and their own well being. They will not act to evade mortal danger, such as fire or chemical gas.

Economic Impact

The outbreak has increased the strain on an economy that was already under pressure from the current economic crisis. Although the World Bank said it would extend Mexico $25 million in loans for immediate aid and $180 million in long-term assistance, it wasn't enough to restore customer investor confidence leading to the peso’s biggest tumble in six months. It seems likely now that Mexico will have to draw on a $47 billion credit line from the International Monetary Fund.

It has been reported that the alimentary sector within Mexico City alone is experiencing losses in the excess of $4.5 million US dollars per day. As well, it has been reported that pork meat price has dropped 30% within Mexico; united with several exportation bans, this will inflict severe damage to the industry. Although the virus hasn’t spread throughout the whole country, as a precaution, all mass gatherings have been prohibited, affecting the sports industry. Soccer teams report direct loses in the excess of $900,000 dollars per game. It also prompted cancellations of all the festivals in the country. Additionally, the Mexican race of the 2008-09 A1 GP season has had to be cancelled because of the outbreak.

See also

• Health care in Mexico
• Swine influenza
• Avian influenza
• Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)

External links

• "Outbreak of Swine-Origin Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection — Mexico, March–April 2009" — CDC Morbidity and Mortality (Dispatch) 2009-04-30
• World Health Organization (WHO): 2009 swine flu outbreak in Mexico
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Swine Influenza (Flu)
• Medical Encyclopedia Medline Plus: Swine Flu
• Medical Encyclopedia WebMD: Swine Flu Center