May
The swine flu count in the United States now stands at 2,532 confirmed cases in 44 states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Sunday. This is the highest number of cases in any country, including Mexico.
A third death occurred over the weekend, in the state of Washington. An unidentified male in his 30′s, with other health issues including an underlying heart condition, was confirmed as the third death in the United States.
Because the new swine flu virus is a highly unusual genetic mix of bird, flu and human viruses, health officials worry that it could continue to mutate and return in a more virulent form for next winter’s flu season.
While most of the infections continue to cause only mild illness, similar to the seasonal flu, and almost all patients recover quickly and fully, federal officials warned Friday that the swine flu outbreak in the U. S. is far from over.
Testing has found that the swine flu virus remains susceptible to two common antiviral drugs, Tamiflu and Relenza, according to the CDC.
On Monday, the World Health Organization was reporting 4,694 confirmed cases of swine flu in 30 countries, with Canada, Spain and the United Kingdom having the most cases outside of the United States and Mexico.
Tags: h1n1, Swine Flu, Swine Flu Epidemic
