Developments on swine flu worldwide
By The Associated Press – 16 hours ago
Key developments on swine flu outbreaks, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization and government officials:
_Deaths: Global total of 69 — 64 in Mexico; three in U.S.; one in Canada and one in Costa Rica. Officials said the Canadian, U.S. and Costa Rican victims also had other medical conditions.
_Confirmed cases: Estimated 6,672 in 33 countries, including at least 2,656 in Mexico; 3,352 in 46 U.S. states and the District of Columbia; and 389 in Canada.
_WHO meets in Geneva to discuss key decisions about making a vaccine. Representatives of European Union and Latin American nations meet in Prague to discuss swine flu and other issues.
_Mexico's confirmed cases jumped by 374 on Thursday, but Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordovaz said that with more confirmations, the virus appears less deadly: the deaths now represent 2.4 percent of confirmed cases.
_WHO estimates that up to 2 billion doses of swine flu vaccine could be produced every year, though the first batches wouldn't be available for four to six months.
_The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is currently working on a "seed stock" to make the vaccine, which should be ready in the next couple of weeks.
_A second soldier at Kansas' Fort Riley has been confirmed with being infected with swine flu, the site considered by many historians to be the epicenter of the 1918 flu outbreak.
_Mexico says Peru has agreed to lift its ban on direct flights from Mexico, but three other Latin American nations — Cuba, Ecuador and Argentina — still have such measures in place. |
