The death toll from swine flu media coverage in Mexico has now reached thirty, five deaths more than from the disease itself. Mexico’s President Calderon has ordered the country’s broadcasting systems shut down, and the nation’s print journalists have been placed in quarantine to prevent the further spread of the epidemic.
Beginning in Mexico in late April this year, media coverage of swine flu has since spread to over thirty countries, including New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States, though fatalities have thus far been restricted to Mexico and the US only.
The World Health Organisation advises all citizens of countries where media coverage of swine flu has spread to keep watch for infected individuals, and to call health services immediately should they suspect someone they know is infected. Symptoms include bleeding from the eyes, ears, nose and mouth, drooling, and a shuffling, zombie-like gait.