Swine flu deaths rise as new countries are hit

Friday August 21st, 2009

The number of deaths of swine flu patients continues to rise - even though the spread of the disease has slowed in many countries, it was reported yesterday.

In England some 54 people have died after contracting the virus, according to the UK Health Protection Agency. It said this did not mean they had died from the disease.

Some 263 people are in hospital after contracting the disease.

The HPA said it estimates there were 11,000 new cases in England last week. GP reports of flu fell by nearly a third as the summer holidays continued to prevent the spread of the virus through schools.

Reports from other countries and the World Health Organisation suggest a similar slowing of the virus in most of the northern hemisphere and also in South America.

However two African countries, Ghana and Zambia, reported their first cases and the spread of the disease in India was said to be causing alarm. In South Africa the virus has now spread to all provinces.

More than 13,000 cases and 106 deaths have now been reported in south-east Asia.

And in Australia flu is causing major problems to hospitals - with 30 per cent of admissions to hospital ending up in intensive care, three times the predicted rate.

Public health officials say the disease is starting to peter out in the states which first suffered the brunt of the pandemic.

According to the European centre for Disease Control, based in Germany, the number of deaths reported globally has shot up by 24 per cent in the last week, reaching 2,144.

The number of cases has increased by ten per cent to 237,129. The World Health Organisation reports a smaller figure of 182,166 cases and 1,799 deaths.

Tags: Africa | North America | Australia | Europe | Flu & Viruses | Traveller Health | UK News | World Health

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