On April 25, 2009, the Mexican newspaper El Universal published that "Francis Plummer, a scientist with the Canadian government microbiology laboratory affirmed that the influenza virus attacking the Mexican people is not only a new virus for human beings, but for the world as a whole. Exactly one week ago…he received a call asking for his help to analyze some samples that had arrived from Mexico…"

"The tests revealing this new virus were only conducted on the samples sent by the Mexican authorities, he emphasized, referring to the 16 cases that had tested positive among the 50 samples sent from Mexico…"

Two days later, La Jornada daily reported that on the 5th of the same month, it had received information from Andrés Timoteo, its reporter in Veracruz, who wrote textually: "the Health Department has implemented an epidemic cordon around the village of La Gloria, in the municipality of Perote, because the population is being afflicted by a strange outbreak of acute respiratory infections… three children under two years of age have died and 60% of the 3,000 inhabitants are suffering from respiratory problems."

La Jornada added, "The reporter’s note mentions that the local population attributes the appearance of these infections to the contamination generated by pig farmers from the Granjas Carroll transnational.

"…Dozens of families suddenly fell ill with respiratory problems.

"Municipal agent Bertha Crisóstomo appealed to the health authorities for help since dozens of families had suddenly developed respiratory problems," continued the reporter.

"The symptoms of the villagers there, according to witnesses, were fevers, severe coughing with phlegm; they collapse onto their beds as if stricken with one of those infections that appear during winter time."

In fact, Dr. Plummer’s Canadian laboratory was not the first to discover anything. The Atlanta CDC had already done so on April 17. The AH1N1 was a new and potentially highly dangerous virus.

But there is more. On the 11th, based on the aforementioned reports in the Mexican press, the Pan-American Health Organization’s Watch Group asked the health minister to verify an alleged outbreak of influenza in the community of La Gloria, Veracruz, arguing that it could pose a significant international health risk.

Faced with this kind of information, any country would consider it imperative to undertake an immediate and thorough investigation into the matter.

I have always admired Mexico’s achievements in social security. It was the most advanced country on this continent. After the triumph, we found friends there who helped us in the first years of our Revolution.

It is painful to say it, but four or five days would have sufficed to discover that people were being affected by that virus; it was not necessary to send the sample to the laboratory in Canada. How can it be explained that such a test was not made anywhere since the onset of the events that determined the PAHO Watch Group action?

Initial information on the epidemic was given to the international community starting from April 24; the news was worrying. Take a look at some of the data:

May 2: 397 cases, 16 dead.

May 5: 866 cases, 26 dead.

May 9: 1626 cases, 48 dead.

May 12: 2282 cases, 58 dead.

Every day there were reports of other countries affected and almost without exception there was a connection with persons returning from Mexico.

Three days ago, it was announced that China – a vast nation with a population of over 1.3 billion – had announced a positive case of the AH1N1 virus, transmitted in this case by a young Chinese man who was studying in the United States. That country and Mexico have become international exporters of the epidemic. Perhaps that sudden and devastating spread could have been averted. It is not as if the Mexican government was doing the world a favor as certain people would have us believe. Now one would have to thank the three partners of the North American Free Trade Agreement. The three were present in Port of Spain on April 18 and 19. Obama had visited Mexico on the 16th and 17th of the same month.

What would an epidemic such as this mean for Cuba? Our country is prevented from purchasing any medication, raw material, equipment or components of diagnostic equipment manufactured by U.S. transnationals on the basis of the extraterritorial legislation that the U.S. administration has imposed on the world. Why were we accused of being enemies of the Mexican people when we adopted measures drawn up in advance to protect our people? Who is now going to tell China how it should protect its population? Why do they have to lie? Why talk of supposed reprisals, as was the suspension of a visit that had already been suspended? Is it perhaps that money generated from tourism and airlines is more important that the life of a compatriot? Why make threats? We are not to blame for the drastic measures that the epidemic forced the Mexican government to take.

When the United States launched its mercenaries into the Bay of Pigs, escorted by the Marine Corps, General Lázaro Cárdenas, who won tremendous glory for recovering Mexico’s oil, did not threaten us; on the contrary, he wanted to come to Cuba to fight alongside us. That is the Mexico to whose example we pay tribute.

Is it possible that in Mexico on April 16 & 17 no one knew anything about the gift that this country was to present to the world six days later?

Could it be that not even the information experts of the U.S. Intelligence agencies knew what was about to happen?

Nothing has changed in Mexico over the past eight years, except the virus. The influenza virus of 1918 killed more people than World War 1.

It was more news that shook the world! Let us trust in science!