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Australia swine flu count soars near 900: official

Spain reports growing swine flu outbreak at Madrid schools
Spain on Thursday reported 11 new confirmed cases of swine flu at three schools in the Madrid region, bringing the total number of children affected to 35. A total of 31 children at the Isaac Albeniz de Leganes secondary school in the suburban town of Leganes have been diagnosed with the A(H1N1) virus, while 62 others are under observation, the health ministry said. Local authorities first reported two cases of swine flu at the school on Monday, a brother and sister. They said the girl had apparently picked up the disease on a visit to the United States and then infected her brother. Three pupils at another school in Leganes, the Pio Baroja, are also confirmed with swine flu, the ministry said Thursday. It reported on Tuesday that one child was also infected at the La Locomotora kindergarten in Madrid. Spain was the first European country to confirm a case of the A(H1N1) virus, and the World Health Organisation said in its most recent bulletin on Wednesday there are 180 confirmed cases of the disease in the country. The WHO said swine flu had infected 19,273 people in 66 countries since it was first reported last month in Mexico and the United States. It said 117 people have died of the virus.
by Staff Writers
Sydney (AFP) June 4, 2009
Australia's swine flu tally rocketed by more than a third on Thursday to nearly 900 as officials scrambled to contain the rapidly spreading virus.

The latest official figures revealed 876 confirmed cases of A(H1N1) influenza in the world's fourth most affected country -- up from 633 a day earlier and single figures just a fortnight ago.

Other Australian states ordered children returning from flu hotspot Victoria to be quarantined, earning the wrath of Melbourne officials.

"Swine flu is an international and national phenomenon and that's the fact of the matter," Victoria premier John Brumby said.

"Frankly I thought the statements made by particularly the New South Wales government were just silly and extreme."

The island state of Tasmania on Wednesday joined Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia in ordering that children arriving from Victoria be quarantined for up to seven days to reduce the threat of swine flu.

"The exclusion will apply for seven days from departure from Victoria," said Tasmania's Director of Public Health Chrissie Pickin.

"It applies to all children returning from Victoria and other affected areas, whether or not they have a flu-like illness," she said.

Victoria, which has 752 cases or about 86 percent of the national total, raised its alert level on Wednesday and has shuttered 14 schools.

State Health Minister Daniel Andrews insisted his government's moves to limit the spread of the disease were working, despite the large number of infections.

"There is no doubt, and the experts have told us, that without the things already put in place, many, many more people -- much faster -- would have had H1N1," he said.

Swine flu has now spread to 66 countries with 19,273 people known to have been infected since the disease was first uncovered in April, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

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Swine flu cases infect 19,273 across world: WHO
Geneva (AFP) June 3, 2009
Swine flu has now spread to 66 countries with 19,273 people known to have been infected since the disease was first uncovered in April, data from the World Health Organisation showed Wednesday. The number of deaths rose to 117 after two more deaths were reported by the United States, according to the latest WHO tally of confirmed influenza A(H1N1) cases. Most of the new cases were report ... read more







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