Swine Flu Spreads Alarm in Higher Education

Geoff Maslen
The Mexican government last week ordered the closure of all universities and schools across the country as fears of a worldwide pandemic caused by the swine flu outbreak spread around the globe. The government’s Health Secretariat issued the closure order to apply from last Monday and more than 2.5 million university students and 30 million school students were immediately affected – the first nationwide shutdown of education institutions in Mexico’s history.
The increasing spread of the swine flu has led to a dozen US universities withdrawing students on exchange programmes in Mexico and to cancelling planned visits and seminars, although most institutions have taken a 'wait-and-see' attitude. Universities in other countries, whose governments have warned their citizens against travelling to the Americas, are likewise considering abandoning visits and exchanges.
Nations around the world are closely monitoring the outbreak after the World Health Organization raised its alert level and warned that a pandemic was possible. Last Wednesday, the WHO lifted the worldwide pandemic alert level to phase 4 - but the following day lifted it again to phase 5, the second highest of the six alert levels which the organisation classes as involving widespread human infection.
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Source: University World News, Issue No: 0074 03 May 2009