GENEVA, June 24 (Reuters) - Mexico complained at the World Trade Organisation on Wednesday that seven countries continue to block imports of its pork over concerns about H1N1 flu. At a WTO meeting on the safety and hygiene of traded goods, the United States, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Brazil and others stressed that trade restrictions in response to the flu "have no scientific justification", officials said. The virus is known as swine flu but is spreading globally in people. A pandemic has been declared in humans and not in pigs. Ukraine, Indonesia, China and Jordan are among the countries that imposed pork bans and barriers in response to the outbreak of H1N1. All four countries told the WTO committee that their measures were meant to be temporary and had been lifted or would be lifted once scientific evidence was further examined. China defended its aggressive moves to limit pork imports, citing its large vulnerable population and the importance of pigs and pork in the Chinese diet, diplomats said. Mexico listed China among seven countries that have kept trade-restricting measures in place in spite of the evolution of the flu and repeated statements from United Nations and scientific officials that pork posed no H1N1 risks. The others cited were Armenia, Bahrain, Gabon, Indonesia, Jordan and Surinam, a WTO official said. (Reporting by Laura MacInnis; editing by Robert Woodward)
People wear protective masks outside the Dr. Federico Abete Hospital in Malvinas Argentinas, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, June 24, 2009. Argentina is reinforcing overwhelmed hospitals as H1N1 deaths rise ...
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