A(H1N1) flu cases swell 25,888% worldwide in 20 days

MANILA, Philippines – The Influenza (A)H1N1 virus continued to spread on May 14 with 6,497 confirmed cases worldwide – an alarming 25,888 percent increase since the World Health Organization (WHO) first reported about the outbreak 20 days ago on April 24. On April 24, the WHO reported only 25 confirmed cases of the killer disease in Mexico and the United States. But in WHO’s May 14 update (Update 28), cases in Mexico rose to 2,446 and those in the US to 3,352. In 31 other countries, WHO recorded 699 other official cases as of May 14 – 450 in the Americas, 221 in Europe, 13 in Asia, eight in Oceania, and seven in the Middle Eastern country of Israel. Aside from those in Mexico and the US, the 450 cases in the Americas are in Canada (389); Panama (29); Costa Rica (8); Brazil (8); Colombia (7); El Salvador (4); Guatemala (3); Argentina (1) and Cuba (1). The 221 recorded cases in Europe are in Spain (100 cases); United Kingdom (71); France (14); Germany (12); Italy (9); the Netherlands (3); Sweden, Norway, and Finland with two cases each and Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, and Switzerland with one case each. The four countries in Asia dealing with 13 cases are Japan (4); China (2 –mainland, 2 – Hong Kong Special Administrative Region); South Korea (3); and Thailand (2). The eight cases recorded in Oceania are in New Zealand (7) and Australia (1). From May 13 to May 14, the global death toll increased from 61 to 65, with Mexico reporting 60 deaths, the US – 3, Canada – 1, and Costa Rica – 1. Despite the continuous rise in the number of cases worldwide, the Philippines remains A(H1N1) virus-free. On Thursday, the Philippine Health Department said all 49 people suspected of having the disease were tested negative for virus. - GMANews.TV