MEXICO CITY (May 06, 2009)-Mexicans are eagerly anticipating Wednesday's official end to a national shutdown to halt the spread of swine flu.

Thousands of newspaper vendors, salesmen and even panhandlers got a head start as Mexico City began to reawaken Tuesday.

Reports surfaced Tuesday of the first U.S. resident to die from swine flu.

A Harlingen woman who recently gave birth died Tuesday, becoming the second person in the U.S. to succumb to the new strain of swine flu that has infected more than 60 people in the state and more than 400 nationwide.

The 33-year-old schoolteacher, identified by authorities as Judy Trunnell, had chronic health conditions, officials said, but details were not released.

The Associated Press reports the woman was first seen by a physician April 14 and was hospitalized on April 19.

She delivered a healthy baby and remained in the hospital until her death.

Dr. Joseph McCormick with the University of Texas School of Public Health's Brownsville campus said the woman was extremely ill when she was hospitalized.

The Mercedes Independent School District, where the woman taught, is closing its schools until Monday.

Last week, a toddler from Mexico City died at a Houston hospital.

He was the first person to die of the swine flu strain in the U.S.

There have been 29 other confirmed swine flu deaths, all in Mexico.

Hundreds of cases of the disease have been confirmed in several countries, but mostly in Mexico and the U.S.

Meanwhile, officials with one of the state's biggest school districts, Fort Worth, said Tuesday classes will resume Friday.

Originally schools were to have remained closed until Monday.

The district has about 80,000 students.

What Is Swine Flu?
The current virus is described as a new subtype of swine flu or A/H1N1 not previously detected in swine or humans. The virus combines genetic material from pigs, birds and humans in a way researchers have not seen before.

How Is It Transmitted?
People cannot get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Most influenza viruses, including the swine flu virus, are not spread by food. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is safe. No food safety issues have been identified, related to the flu. Preliminary investigations have determined that none of the people infected with the flu had contact with hogs. The virus is spreading by human-to-human transmission.