UK Confirms Swine Flu Cases Pass 100 Mark
Yesterday, the number of swine flu cases in the United Kingdom was confirmed to pass the 100 mark after 14 more people were diagnosed with the virus. According to the Health Protection Agency, six adults and eight children are the latest victims of the virus in London (10), east of England (1), and the south east (3).
Out of the 14 cases, eleven involve patients that were contacts of cases that were previously confirmed and two others were travelers returning home. The source of the infection for the remaining victim is still being investigated. There are also about 155 potential swine flu cases being investigated in the UK, according to the Health Protection Agency.
Tests done on the virus suggest that it is less virulent than initially feared, and the World Health Organization hasn’t recommended any travel restrictions. Despite this, the government signed contracts on Friday for as much as 90 million doses of pre-pandemic vaccine for the swine flu.
On Saturday, Turkey and India announced the first confirmed cases of the virus in their countries, and there are now 40 countries who have officially reported confirmed cases, according to yesterday’s update of the issue on the World Health Organization website. In the update, the organization states that there were 8,829 reported cases around the world as of 6am GMT yesterday, as well as 74 deaths.
However, there was another death tied to the swine flu in the US after this update, so these figures have already risen since. So far, deaths have been reported in Mexico, the US, Canada, and Costa Rica.