Mexico City - Mexican authorities confirmed Monday that 26 people have died of the new variant of influenza A/H1N1 and noted that, while the rate of infection is falling, it might rise again at some point.

Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos said the government was considering a gradual return to normal activity. The authorities had ordered last week that work outside the home be kept to a minimum, while school and university lessons remain suspended and so do mass events.

According to Cordova Villalobos, 1,922 samples have been tested, and 701 cases of so-called swine flu have been found positive for the new virus. Infections have been found in 26 of Mexico's 32 states, and the dead include 16 women and 10 men.

Mexico is the epicentre of the outbreak of the new, hitherto unknown flu strain.

The figure for Mexico is larger than the 590 confirmed cases, including 25 deaths, reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) earlier Monday - a discrepancy that in part reflects the time lag in reporting.

For the whole world, WHO reported a total of 985 cases in 20 countries. The United States had 226 confirmed cases, including one death, while Canada reported 85 infections, WHO said.

Mexico's rate of infection fell following a peak from April 23-28. However, Cordova Villalobos called upon the population to remain vigilant for several more months.

"We have to strengthen the epidemiological surveillance particularly as long as we do not have a vaccine," he noted.

A total of 159 people have died of influenza-type illness in recent weeks. Tests are being conducted to determine how many of the deaths were caused by the swine flu.

Mexico is the epicentre of the global flu outbreak, which is caused by a new H1N1 strain of the virus that has genetic elements that come from three species - pigs, birds and human beings.

Restaurants in Mexico City are currently banned from serving food on their premises. Mass events have been cancelled across the country, and football games were being played before empty stands.

Late Sunday, Cordova Villalobos established guidelines for a return to normality. He suggested that people keep 2 metres away from each other. In restaurants, the recommendation would require that tables be spaced further apart. In cinemas, Cordova Villalobos said, people should leave three or four empty seats between one another.

The authorities further discouraged the use of neckties, arguing that they are washed rarely. People were advised to keep using face masks and to wash their hands "every hour."

Elsewhere in Latin America, El Salvador reported two cases and Colombia and Costa Rica one each. In Europe, 11 nations reported confirmed cases, including 40 in Spain, 15 in Britain and eight in Germany. In Asia, Hong Kong and South Korea each confirmed one case, while Israel said it had three, the only cases in the Middle East. (dpa)