Virologists at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam in the Netherlands say the Mexican flu appears to be more dangerous than at first thought. They said they had compared samples of the H1N1 virus with those of a common flu virus.

They found that the Mexican flu penetrates further into the body than a common flu virus, which makes it more dangerous not only to healthy individuals but also to those in poor health. The chance of somebody infected by Mexican flu developing pneumonia is, therefore, much greater.

The researchers say it may be necessary to close schools in the spring if the number of Mexican flu cases increases. They say that would help reduce the spread of the virus and give health authorities more time to vaccinate the population.

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