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A statue of Edgar Hernandez Hernandez, a boy who is believed to have been the first person in the world to be infected with the (A)H1N1 virus, was unveiled over the weekend in a community in the eastern Mexican state of Veracruz.
The sculpture of the so-called "Nino Cero" (Little Boy Zero) was erected in the town of La Gloria on the slopes of Cofre de Perote mountain, and symbolized the victory of the four-year-old boy over the virus that has infected, according to Health Secretariat figures, 18,861 Mexicans.
The statue of Hernandez, who recovered from the illness, now adorns the only fountain in this community of 3,500 inhabitants located some 300 km east of Mexico city.
The child's mother, Maria del Carmen Hernandez Perez, said that she and her son are both happy about the presentation to the public of the bronze statue 1.3 meters tall and weighing 70 kg.
Officials in Veracruz believe that the statue and the boy's story behind it could well become a tourist attraction.
The likeness was donated by sculptor Bernardo Luis Lopez Artasanchez, who also created a statue in honour of former President Vicente Fox that was pulled down by a mob in 2007 in the city of Boca del Rio.
The artist, present at the unveiling ceremony on Sunday, said he was satisfied by the progress made by this rural community.
"A couple of months have gone by but the important thing is that this represents a plus for the community. They made a cake and I put the cherry on it," the sculptor said.
The state government has launched a tourism-promotion programme on a website featuring places of interest in the community.
Veracruz Govornor Fidel Herrera praised the fact that the boy is well and is one of the tops in his class at school.
"The solution to the public-health problem started here," the governor said.
Herrera also inaugurated highway works that will connect the town with the states of Puebla and Veracruz.
A total of 163 people, according to the latest figures, have died from the flu, known as swine flu, in Mexico.
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