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New Cases Push UN swine flu tally towards 40,000
Geneva (AFP) June 18, 2009 Swine flu has infected nearly 40,000 people around the world in 89 countries and territories, causing 167 deaths since late March, latest World Health Organisation data showed Thursday. Since the last data released on Monday, some 3,692 new cases of A(H1N1) virus were reported taking the total to 39,620, along with four more deaths, including three in Canada and one in Argentina. The biggest jump in cases was recorded in Canada, where the tally went up by about one-third to 4,049 cases. The disease also gained ground in the southern hemisphere, with 641 new cases in Chile (total 2,335), and 390 more in Argentina (733). In the Asia-Pacific region, Australia remained the most infected country with 2,112 cases, an increase of 289 since Monday, while in Thailand reported a surge in its caseload from 29 to 310 and the Philippines recorded 116 new cases (total 193). The United States remains the most infected country with 17,855 cases. The US death toll was reduced by one to 44 following an unspecified closer analysis. The disease also progressed in Britain with 235 additional cases (total 1,461) and one death. Some affected countries no longer keep track of all cases according to the UN health agency, while others do not report for each of the thrice-weekly bulletins. The WHO on Thursday also started separate counts for overseas dependent territories such as Bermuda and Jersey, which are British possessions, and French Polynesia and several Caribbean islands.
related report All the new cases, involving 22 male and 27 female patients aged between one and 55, were in a stable condition after being admitted to public hospitals, the Department of Health said. "Six of the cases are imported, while 28 are local. Classification of the other 15 cases is still pending," the department said. Among the cases were three boys and two girls from five secondary schools that had now been advised to suspend classes for two weeks from Friday, the department added. Last week, authorities ordered all primary schools in the city to be closed for two weeks after the first cluster of local swine flu cases was found. When Hong Kong discovered its first case, in early May, health authorities quarantined around 300 guests and staff at a hotel where the carrier, a Mexican, had briefly stayed. Hong Kong is nervous about infectious diseases following the outbreak of the SARS virus in 2003, which killed 300 people here and a further 500 around the world. Swine flu, or influenza A(H1N1), has infected nearly 40,000 people around the world in 89 countries and territories, causing 167 deaths since late March, according to the latest World Health Organisation data.
related report Two of the three who died -- a woman in her forties in central Manitoba province and a woman in her seventies from the eastern province of Quebec -- had underlying medical conditions, health authorities from those provinces reported. In the last days 856 new cases were identified, bringing the total number of infections to 4,906, of which 284 have required hospitalization. Health authorities last week had hoped a sudden spike in the number of cases in Canada would subside over the coming summer months, but warned the virus might regain strength in the fall. Canada has the third highest number of confirmed swine flu cases and deaths, after the United States and Mexico, the countries where the epidemic first emerged in April.
related report Laboratory test results confirmed the A(H1N1) influenza virus on Thursday morning after a 12-year-old boy who flew in from the United States arrived in South Africa on Sunday with flu-like symptoms, said health spokesman Fidel Hadebe. The boy was admitted to a private hospital on Monday morning. "The patient fitted the criteria as a suspected case and was dealt with in accordance with the World Health Organisation and the Department of Health guidelines in this regard," said Hadebe in a statement. "The patient was kept in isolation and discharged after a few days in hospital. He is well and recovering in isolation at home." Share This Article With Planet Earth
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Saudi faces rising swine flu threat from Muslim pilgrimsRiyadh (AFP) June 18, 2009 Saudi Arabia is gearing up for a possible outbreak of swine flu among millions of Muslim pilgrims this year as four new cases were detected in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina this week, the health ministry said. Three Saudi children in Medina were diagnosed with the H1N1 virus, the ministry said on Thursday, while a nine-year-old Malaysian boy was found infected in a hotel near Mecca's ... read more |
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