Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Fander Falconi said on Thursday that the government has fulfilled successfully the measures taken to avoid the entrance of the influenza A/H1N1 virus in the country.

Ecuador, like other Latin American countries, took "really strong security measures" to protect the health of the people, Falconi said, added that "the decision has been absolutely successful."

Falconi said that some of the measures have been lightened and he told the Mexican government about Ecuador's decision on lifting the state of emergency if the disease was controlled.

According to the Health Ministry, Ecuador has not registered a case of human flu.

Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa decreed on April 29 "the state of emergency in all the national territory due to the fast transmission of the virus."

On May 8, the Ecuadorian Tourism Ministry lifted a precaution measure taken in late April to restrict the entrance of people coming from Mexican airports.

The Health Ministry confirmed that the restrictions were lifted on the entrance of passengers coming from the countries with human flu cases, however the country will continue to watch closely at airports, maritime ports and borders.

The Ecuadorian government also lifted the restrictions on the import of pork.

Earlier this week, Ecuadorian Education Minister Raul Vallejo announced the suspension of permits for students to travel abroad at the end of the school term as a preventive measure.

(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2009)