Geneva (dpa) - Swine flu, according to the latest data, is the
main type of influenza being transmitted globally, the World Health
Organization said Friday.
"Pandemic (H1N1) influenza virus continues to be the predominant
circulating virus of influenza, both in the northern and southern
hemisphere," the WHO reported, using the technical name for the
disease.
In Japan, influenza activity was increasing past the seasonal
epidemic threshold, "indicating an early beginning to the annual
influenza season," the status update said.
Many countries in south and south-east Asia and South America
reported increasing or sustained high levels of respiratory disease,
but two, Thailand and Brunei Darussalam, noted a decline.
In Central America and the Caribbean respiratory disease levels
appeared to be declining. Canada and the United States had low
overall influenza activity, the WHO said, but there were regional
increases in the southeastern US.
South Africa and the southern and western parts of Australia still
had high overall rates of influenza, while European countries had
mixed reports, with most noting low flu activity but a few sustaining
a high number of cases or respiratory diseases.
According to the health agency's latest tally, there were over
254,206 confirmed cases of infection around the world, leading to at
least 2,837 deaths.
The Americas remained the hardest hit region, accounting for at
least 116,046 cases, with 2,234 incidents proving fatal.
The WHO says that because "countries are no longer required to
test and report individual cases, the number of cases reported
actually understates the real number of cases."
Copyright 2009 dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH