 Residents of the Mexican capital are taking precautionary measures |
Mexican authorities have closed schools and public buildings in the capital in a bid to contain a new flu virus suspected of killing up to 60 people.
Public events were suspended and residents donned face masks as concern grew over the outbreak.
Health experts say tests so far seem to link it with a new swine flu virus that sickened eight in the southern US.
US experts said they were taking the virus seriously and working to learn as much as possible about it.
But both the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) said that there was no need at this point to issue travel advisories for parts of Mexico or the US.
In Geneva, the WHO said an emergency committee would likely convene over the weekend. It said it had prepared "rapid containment measures" in case they were needed.
In the US, the White House said it was monitoring events.
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Mexican authorities suspect the virus may have been involved in the deaths of about 60 people, mostly in and around Mexico City, since mid-March.
A new swine flu strain has been confirmed in 20 of the deaths and 40 others are being tested, Mexico's health secretary said. More than 900 other people are thought to have been infected.
 | SWINE FLU Swine flu is a respiratory disease found in pigs Human cases usually occur in those who have contact with pigs Human-to-human transmission is rare and such cases are closely monitored |
Officials said most of those killed so far were young adults - rather than more vulnerable children and the elderly.
On Friday, Mexican President Felipe Calderon cancelled a trip and convened his cabinet to coordinate a response.
Masks were being handed out to residents and reports said the streets were far quieter than usual.
Dr Richard Besser, acting director of the CDC, said that preliminary tests on seven out of 14 samples from patients in Mexico had matched the virus found in the US.
Eight people have fallen sick - six in California and two in Texas - with a virus that experts say is a new strain of swine flu. All eight have recovered and only one was hospitalised.
Dr Besser said more information was needed to determine the extent of the threat posed by the virus.
"We are not at the point - WHO is not at the point - of declaring a pandemic; we are at the point of trying to learn more about this virus, understand its transmission and how to control it," he said.
"In Mexico, other influenza viruses are circulating there, so sorting out which cases are caused by swine flu, which are other viruses and which are co-infections will be very important public health information."
Both the CDC and the WHO say they plan to send experts to Mexico to help investigate the virus.
Swine flu is a respiratory disease which infects pigs. It does not normally infect humans, although sporadic cases do occur usually in people who have had close contact with pigs.
There have also been rare documented cases of humans passing the infection to other humans.
Such cases are monitored very closely because of fears that a new strain of swine flu with the ability to pass from person to person could spark a pandemic.
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