Buenos Aires mayor declares emergency to fight flu

Mayor Mauricio Macri urged city residents to stay at home as much as possible, saying the health emergency would remain in place through Friday. He said the measure would help different public services coordinate to combat the virus.

The Argentine government has confirmed 1,587 cases of the new strain of virus, also known as swine flu, which is spreading during the southern hemisphere winter.

Argentine authorities also said on Tuesday they were suspending classes for millions of children as a precaution.

Classes will be cancelled in Buenos Aires and four other provinces from Monday as officials bring forward winter vacation periods originally scheduled to start later next month.

Many of the flu cases have been reported in the densely populated working-class suburbs and impoverished slums that ring Buenos Aires.

On Monday, Argentina's health minister resigned amid the outbreak, with some Argentine media reporting opposition within the national government to her measures to combat the outbreak.

(Reporting by Lucas Bergman; Writing by Kevin Gray, Editing by Sandra Maler)