A/H1N1 flu wipes 0.7 percentage points off Mexico's GDP

MEXICO CITY, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos told a business conference the outbreak of A/H1N1 flu in the nation had cost 0.7 percentage points of gross domestic product, or 57 billion pesos (about 4.29 billion U.S. dollars).

The figure has more than doubled the official estimated loss of around 0.3 percentage points due to the shutdown of schools, state offices and business, with crowded shopping areas deserted during late April and early May.

Cordova said beach and cultural visits, the most common forms of tourism in Mexico had suffered most from the flu, while increased health tourism offset part of the loss, with rich individuals from the United States and Canada coming to Mexico for treatment.

Cordova also said the death toll for A/H1N1 flu had reached 388,out of a total of 14,000 confirmed cases.