Swine flu has affected economic activities with Korea: Mexican envoy

Seoul, April 29 (Yonhap) -- Mexico's economic exchanges with South Korea have been partially affected by the swine flu outbreak, with a Seoul trade delegation canceling a scheduled trip, a Mexican envoy said Wednesday.

"Our economic activities have been affected. For example, we had a group of KOTRA
officials slated to visit Mexico, but we were notified that the visit has been
postponed due to the South Korean government's travel ban on our country," Amb.
Leandro Arellano said in an interview with Yonhap News Agency. "This certainly
impedes our economic activities with Korea," he said.
"We regret the Korean tourists that might have been infected while visiting
Mexico. Fortunately they were detected as soon as they arrived here and have been
receiving medical treatment," the ambassador said. "We will keep checking on them
to see that they recover fully."
The swine flu, a mutated form of the influenza A virus, has left 152 dead and
more than 1,900 people hospitalized in Mexico, with cases being reported in 23
countries worldwide.
Amb. Arellano emphasized, however, than only seven deaths were confirmed to have
been caused by the swine flu.
"A priority for Mexico's health authorities is to assure the public that even if
the disease is serious, it is completely treatable if diagnosed early and treated
with proper medication," the ambassador said.
"The Mexican authorities immediately informed the World Health Organization (WHO)
and other health-related international agencies of the situation in the country
to allow the international community to take needed measures to protect their
population," he said.
roxana@yna.co.kr
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