LONDON (Reuters) - The Foreign Office advised against all but essential travel to Mexico as a honeymooning Scottish couple who recently returned from the country became the first in Britain to test positive for swine flu.

On its website, the Foreign Office also said routine consular and all visa services at its embassy in Mexico City had been suspended until further notice.

"British nationals resident in or visiting Mexico may wish to consider whether they should remain in Mexico at this time," it said.

Travel firm Thomson Holidays said it had decided to repatriate its customers from Mexico and to cancel flights bound for Cancun from Gatwick and Manchester on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he would take part in a meeting of the government's COBRA emergency committee on Tuesday chaired by Health Secretary Alan Johnson.

"We have been preparing for this kind of scenario for many years. Britain is among the best prepared countries in the world," he told a news conference during a visit to Poland.

"We, together with the World Health Organisation and our partners in Europe and internationally, will continue to take all the urgent action that is necessary to halt the spread of this virus."

Reuters

In the state of Ohio, United States(where I live), the governor issued a warning telling all residents to wash their hands frequently and thoroughly. Even these seemingly simple action can have real positive affects trying to stop the spread of the swine flu.

we already have a person infected with that **** in portugal... she was on holidays in mexico and got the swine flu there

I have heard that it is expected to spread in Europe, I'm surprised to hear it's already hit Portugal. Hopefully government warnings will halt the spread of this disease.