MEXICO CITY, (Reuters) – Mexicans got back into the  swing of normal life yesterday after a five-day business  shutdown due to the H1N1 flu virus, which spread in Europe with  new infections in Poland and Sweden.

Mexico raised its confirmed death toll from the swine flu  outbreak to 42 from 29, but the government says the worst is  over and has eased curbs on commercial and public activity.

Nevertheless, the H1N1 virus, which has killed a woman and  a child in the United States, advanced in Europe, with Sweden  and Poland confirming their first cases. The flu has reached 24  countries, infecting over 2,000 people, according to data from  the World Health Organization and national authorities.
The new flu, a mixture of swine viruses and elements of  human and bird flu, has brought the world to the brink of a  pandemic and has stoked trade and diplomatic tensions as some  nations quarantined Mexican citizens and products.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon accused these countries,  among them China, of “ignorance.” They included Haiti, the  poorest nation in the Americas, which turned away a Mexican aid  shipment of maize, wheat, beans and medicines, Calderon said.

Traffic clogged Mexico’s sprawling capital and taco vendors  worked the sidewalks again as Mexicans resumed their normal  lives after days cloistered at home.

U.S. health authorities remained on the alert with the  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reporting 642  confirmed cases of the H1N1 flu in 44 states.

The new virus appears to act like a seasonal flu but has  confused doctors as it has also killed some young and  apparently healthy adults in Mexico — not the usual pattern  for influenza, which normally has a much higher death rate for  the old, very young and those with existing health problems.
U.S. CDC officials warned the American public not to become  complacent over the apparent initial mildness of the outbreak.