Flu-hit Mexico to resume business

By Alistair Bell and Daniel Trotta

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico will resume normal business activity this week after its swine flu emergency eased, but the global flu alert triggered a trade dispute on Monday over bans on Mexican, U.S. and Canadian pork.

International tensions triggered by the new H1N1 virus, which contains mostly swine components with bits of human and avian influenzas, emerged after about 20 nations banned imports of pork, pigs and other meat from the United States, Canada and Mexico, the three most flu-affected countries.

Mexico, the epicentre of the new flu outbreak which has surfaced in 21 countries, declared it was winning the battle against the flu, which has killed 26 people in the Latin American oil producer nation.

Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova told reporters on Monday the government would lift the five-day shutdown it imposed on public and business activities on May 1 after the epidemic swept across the country.

"(We will) resume, as planned, activities in the public and private sector on May 6 with recommendations on matters of health and hygiene at the workplace," Cordova said.

Most of Mexico's schools will remain closed until May 11.

As infections of the new H1N1 flu strain continued to appear across the globe, the World Health Organisation wavered over whether it might declare a full pandemic alert.

Canada threatened to take China to the World Trade Organisation unless Beijing backed down from its ban on imports of pigs and pork from Alberta province, where a herd of pigs was found to have the H1N1 strain.