Nearly 4,700 cases of swine flu reported, WHO says

GENEVA As of 06:00 GMT Monday, 30 countries officially reported 4,694 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection, the World Health Organization reported.

The number of confirmed cases in the United States has spiked to 2,532 cases as of 11 a.m. Sunday, including three deaths, across 44 states.

“Today there are almost 3,000 probable and confirmed cases here in the United States in 45 states and the District of Columbia,” Anne Schuchat, director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, told reporters on Friday. At the time, there were 2,254 confirmed cases.

“There are 104 hospitalized cases and we … are still seeing quite a few of the hospitalized cases having underlying diseases,” Schuchat said. “Our assessment is that transmission here in the U.S. is ongoing, that there is a very easily transmissible virus similar to the seasonal influenza viruses.”

Included in that global tally are 48 cases in the Southern Hemisphere — 40 in South America, including one death; one in Australia; and seven in New Zealand. The Southern Hemisphere is currently entering its seasonal influenza season.

Mexico has reported 1,626 laboratory confirmed human cases of infection, including 48 deaths. Canada has reported 284 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death.

WHO is not currently recommending travel restrictions related to the outbreak of the influenza A(H1N1) virus.

Click here to view current domestic and foreign H1N1 instances.