Agence France-Presse

November 07, 2009 04:45am

THE number of swine flu deaths has grown by more than 370 over a week to
pass 6000, as the pandemic spread into more than 199 countries and
territories, World Health Organisation data showed.

The A(H1N1) pandemic is currently being fuelled by "intense and
persistent'' transmission in North America and an "unusually early''
start to winter flu season in Europe as well as in central and western
Asia, a WHO statement said.

The death toll recorded on November 1 reached at least 6071, it added.

The Americas region accounts for nearly three quarters of the global
toll with 4399 deaths, an increase of 224 in a week.

The proportion of recorded visits to doctors in North America due to
influenza-like illness exceeded levels seen over the past six flu
seasons, according to the UN health agency.

Just 42 per cent of samples tested there were positive for influenza,
but all of them were for the pandemic A(H1N1) strain.

The WHO also highlighted signs of "increasing and active transmission''
of pandemic influenza virus across Northern and Eastern Europe,
including Ukraine and Belarus, as well as in eastern Russia.

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