Geneva (dpa) - The World Health Organization Tuesday said the
death toll from swine flu had risen to 700 globally.
By comparison, seasonal flu, the common variety of influenza which
normally hits during the winter months, kills about 500,000 people
each year.
An official at the WHO headquarters in Geneva said the
organization did not have a death ratio for the virus and was still
compiling data.
The disease was first reported to have broken out in mid-April in
North America, which remains the hardest-hit region.
The health agency stopped reporting on the number of infections
earlier this month, saying the disease was too widespread to count
each case.
Owing to its global spread, the WHO has deemed the new virus to be
a "pandemic." Estimates say over 1.2 million cases exist worldwide,
with most people who become ill recovering fully within a few days.
Health experts have said that while there have been deaths and
some cases of severe illness caused by the new virus, known as
A(H1N1), has been mostly mild.
Vaccine production is under way at a number of major
pharmaceutical companies, with clinical trials to begin in the coming
weeks, and doses should reach clinics by the autumn.
Anti-viral drugs have shown themselves to be effective against
swine flu for those already ill.
Copyright 2009 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH