Just as the first death from swine influenza in the United States was reported, UN Secretary-general Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday told the Security Council that the international community must show solidarity if it is to overcome the crisis.

The possibility of a pandemic "requires the whole international community's cooperation," Ban said as he began to address an open Security Council debate on children and armed conflict. "This has become again a global challenge which requires global coordination and support."

A Mexican toddler who came to the United States with his family on a visit has died from swine flu in the southern state of Texas, local officials announced on Wednesday. This is the first death in the United States from swine flu. There are reportedly 91 confirmed cases of the flu in 10 states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The new virus strain, a subtype of A/H1N1, has not been detected in swine or humans before. With little or no resistance from the human immune system, the strain has the ability to aggressively attack the body and become deadly.

In her opening remarks to the Security Council, Mexican Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa, who is chairing the Council debate on children and armed conflict, said her government feels a "sense of responsibility toward its own citizens and the citizens of the world." Mexico holds the rotating presidency of the 15-nation Security Council for the month of April.

Assuring the Council that Mexico will act in a transparent and accountable manner, Espinosa said the swine influenza is "a challenge for humanity as a whole" and the international community needed to "build bridges to respond to the crisis."

Ban said that he was relieved and encouraged by Espinosa's remarks, adding that UN agencies have begun mobilizing resources "to overcome, suppress and combat swine flu" as the world teeters on the brink of yet another global crisis.

"In addition to the global financial crisis, climate change, the energy crisis, the food crisis -- now on top of this we are now experiencing this very serious pandemic," the secretary-general said.

(Xinhua News Agency April 30, 2009)