Most suspected flu patients in Mexico now healthy

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Two-thirds of the roughly 1,300 people in Mexico suspected of being infected with a fatal new strain of swine flu have been given a clean bill of health and sent home from the hospital, President Felipe Calderon said on Sunday.

Calderon said more than 900 people had been declared healthy and nearly 400 others with flu-like symptoms were in hospitals being checked.

Fears of a global swine flu pandemic are growing with new infections cropping up in the United States and Canada. Millions of Mexicans hid indoors to avoid a virus that has killed up to 81 people across the country.

Calderon reassured Mexicans that the flu is curable with drugs and said Mexico has ample stocks of antiviral medicine.

"It's very important to act fast and take this seriously, but it's also very important to stay calm, cooperate with authorities and inform them of any cases that arise," he said during a meeting of health officials.

(Reporting by Mica Rosenberg and Catherine Bremer)