Responses and Consequences of the Human Flu

By Dulce Gamiño, Alejandra Olalde and Milburga Rodríguez
Translation by Patricia Roxana Solorzano

The United States’ response was slower, mass media began to discuss the disease during the last week of April when they shut down schools and launched some possible solutions to fight the virus. Cases in the U.S. started with a Mexican baby who died of the AH1N1 flu. Mass media notified the entire world about the cases in the American continent and also in Europe, Israel, Australia and New Zealand, this action caused a worldwide panic.
Their particular governments reinforced the public’s strong reaction as they changed their attitude towards Mexico and its tourists. The Mexicans who traveled around in different countries when the outbreak took place resented this hostile treatment. For instance, Mexican tourists who were in China were asked to leave in two jumbo jets, and they had previously been isolated in hotels across the country.
The massive broadcasting of Human Flu related news caused that both Mexico and the United States got distracted from other issues such as the economic crisis and negotiations regarding their partnership and migration laws. The citizens stopped thinking about the decrease in the gross internal product, the recession and mainly unemployment. This was true in a lesser extent in Mexico due to the severe crisis caused by the pause on all the economic sectors, mainly in tourism. All of this along with the Chrysler crisis severely affected Mexico since they have almost 450 thousand employees whose salaries depend on the company’s plant in the state of Coahuila.

Media exposure derived Media exposure derived from the “Lock In”

By Dulce Gamiño, Alejandra Olalde and Milburga Rodríguez
Translation by Patricia Roxana Solorzano

The thousands of Mexicans that stayed home were constantly exposed to media messages from internet, radio, written press and mainly television. The latter offered an uninterrupted coverage of the Human Flu and generated panic within the population.

The percentage of the crisis’ impact may be measured by observing the amount of people actually wearing the facemask. During the first days this was not as evident as it became later on, when the media announced the number of deaths the disease had caused and the most effective ways to protect oneself against it, including the use of a facemask. Pharmacies and supermarkets ran out of their supply of facemasks because the Mexican population was wearing them as an essential part of their daily attires. Perhaps this attitude variation would not have occurred if people had not been as exposed to mass media while they stayed at home.

US and Mexico Against the Human Flu

By Dulce Gamiño, Alejandra Olalde and Milburga Rodríguez
Translation by Patricia Roxana Solórzano

During the last month, both countries faced an epidemic caused by a bud of H1N1 virus, commonly named Human Flu. On the nighttime news of April 23, Dr. José Ángel Córdova, the Mexican Secretary of Health announced to the nation the presence of the virus and the actions that would be taken in order to avoid its transmission. They included the suspension of academic activities from preschool to university level and also of cultural and other ambiances where conglomerations could take place.

From that moment on, the Mexican government asked for the people’s support in order to avoid the spread of the virus. The use of a facemask was suggested when people gathered with more than five individuals in an enclosed area. Later on, stores, restaurants, cinemas, theaters, shopping malls, and companies were given a recommendation to shut down until the crisis had passed. In some states there was an explicit prohibition of any commercial activity. The only exception was made for stores that sold basic need products such as supermarkets and banks.

This event has caused a dramatic descent of the Mexican economic activity; there has been a reduction of the Gross Internal Product (GIP) of 5.2% in 2009. This crisis stole the Mexican people’s attention and deviated it from other concerns such as the world economic crisis and government’s decisions such as the legalization of drug possession and the migration issues with the United States.