Geneva (dpa) - At least 134,503 people have been infected by swine
flu across the globe, with 816 confirmed deaths, the World Health
Organization reported Monday.
An official said at least 160 countries were hit by the new virus,
technically known as influenza A(H1N1), but the tally was not broken
down into countries.
The WHO had previously said it would not issue any further
statistics on infections.
Swine flu was "unstoppable," the organization has declared and
deemed the virus a "pandemic," though its severity is thought to be
mild. While most infected people make quick and complete recoveries,
some cases have proven fatal.
Regionally, the hardest hit area was the Americas, with 87,965
cases and 707 deaths.
The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific confirmed 21,577
infections of which 30 were fatal. In Europe, there were at least
16,556 instances of the virus in humans and 34 deaths.
The Eastern Mediterranean area had one death and Africa has so far
had none confirmed.
The tally, posted to the UN health agency's website, contained a
disclaimer: "Given that countries are no longer required to test and
report individual cases, the number of cases reported actually
understates the real number of cases."
While many cases are thought to be so mild that they are not
reported, the WHO has urged vigilance, saying the nature of a virus
could change.
Swine flu is susceptible to anti-virals. A vaccine is expected to
be ready in the autumn.
Copyright 2009 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH