. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/GEN/921 
5 May 2009 
 (09-2163) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   Spanish 
  
 
INFORMATION ON OUTBREAKS OF 
A/H1N1 HUMAN INFLUENZA VIRUS 
ON MEXICAN TERRITORY 
 
Communication from Mexico
 
 
  The following communication, received on 4 May 2009, is being circulated at the request of the delegation of Mexico
. 
 
_______________ 
 
 1. On Thursday 23 April 2009, Mexico's Ministry of Health issued a nationwide communication 
warning the Mexican population of the presence of a new strain of human influenza virus named 
A/H1N1.  Having promptly identified the epidemic, the Federal Government of Mexico stepped up its 
cooperation in the work already being done by th e country's state and municipal governments to 
contain the epidemic.  All (i.e. 100 per cent) of the recommendations issued by the World Health 
Organization (WHO) for alert phases 3 and 4 were implemented in recent days, and all those following the shift to phase 5 on 29 Ap ril have been put into effect. 
2. Although the virus characteristics indicate that it includes genetic components of human and 
animal influenza (presence of genes from Euro-Asian  swine), it is transmitted from human to human 
and is unrelated to Mexico's pig farming industr y or that of Mexico's North American trading 
partners.  The health status of pigs in Mexico is among the most closely supervised and recognized 
worldwide and there is no risk of contamination through the consumption of Mexican pork.  On the 
contrary, Mexican pork is and will continue to be  a guarantee of affordable quality, health and 
innocuousness. 
3. Nevertheless, as a precautionary measure Mexico's  Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural 
Development, Fisheries and Food has built up its fi eld operations and diagnostic capacity since 2008, 
involving 300 field experts and the monitoring of pig farms, by following up on diagnostic reports on 
more than 700,000 samples analysed in 25 labora tories at national level a nd two national reference 
laboratories, in order to support the Health Ministry's  epidemiological surveillance.  As a result of the 
activities and the work carried out in the coun try's pig farms, we are able to announce 
THE ABSENCE OF ANY OUTBREAK OF SWINE INFLUENZA. 
4. As reiterated by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the current A/H1N1 
influenza virus that has affected hu man health has been incorrectly rela ted to swine influenza.  In this 
regard, both the OIE and the WHO have announced that  there has been no confirmation of infection 
in animals in zones where human contamination has occurred.  There is therefore no need to introduce 
specific measures for international trade in either swine or pork products, in the absence of all risk, 
nor is there any risk of infection among consum ers of pork products.  In view of the above, any 
restriction on trade would be inconsistent with the OIE guidelines. G/SPS/GEN/921 
Page 2  
 
  5. As a confirmation of the foregoing, on 2 May 2009 the United Nations Food and Agriculture 
Organization (FAO), the OIE, the WHO and the Wo rld Trade Organization (WTO) jointly issued a 
statement that there is no evidence to date that th e A/H1N1 virus is transmitted by food and that 
consequently there is no justification under the OI E Terrestrial Animal Health Standards Code for 
imposing restrictions on trade in pork or other food products originating from the zones affected by 
the A/H1N1 virus. 
6. Mexico will continue to promote consumption of Mexican pork both inside and outside the 
country, since it is a healthy, nutritional product th at provides employment for thousands of people 
and helps maintain a healthy diet for Mexican fam ilies.  Mexico will also continue to apply the 
strictest inspection measures in all of its farms to ensure that its pig farming industry maintains the 
highest health standards. 
7. Mexico expresses concern about various measu res that some WTO Members have adopted 
against pork imports from Mexico, using as a reason th e outbreak of A/H1N1 influenza, and considers 
it necessary to recall that under Articles 2, 3 and 5 of the WTO Agreement on the Application of 
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agre ement) the imposition of any measure requires 
Members to: 
(a) Ensure that the measure is applied only to the extent necessary to protect human 
health or life, is based on scientific princi ples and is not maintained without sufficient 
scientific evidence; 
(b) make certain that the measure does not ar bitrarily or unjustifiably discriminate 
between Members and is not applied in a manner which would constitute a disguised 
restriction on international trade; 
(c) base the measure on international standards, guidelines or recommendations; 
(d) minimize negative trade effects when determ ining the appropriate level of sanitary 
protection, and ensure that the measure is not more trade-restrictive than required, 
taking into account technical and economic feasibility. 
8. Furthermore, Mexico deeply regrets that some Members are using the outbreak of A/H1N1 
influenza as a reason to establish restrictions or bans on imports of products other than pork, and 
urges them to bring their measures into line with their obligations under the SPS Agreement. 
9. Regardless of the foregoing, Mexico requ ests WTO Members to notify the Committee on 
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures of any measure  imposed on imports of pork or other products 
originating from Mexico, in accordance with the terms of Article 7 and Annex B of the 
SPS Agreement, and to fully comply with the othe r transparency requirements laid down in this 
Agreement (such as allowing comments). 
10. The detection of the A/H1N1 influenza virus is not a question of animal health or food safety 
but a human health issue.  Consequently, Mexico urge ntly calls on all its trad ing partners to withdraw 
any restrictive measure imposed on Mexican products  that is not consistent with the scientific 
information available and with their international obligations.  Mexico obviously stands ready to 
provide whatever information relating to the case th at may be requested by the authorities of its 
trading partners. 
__________