Swine Flu UPDATE:US Reports Third Swine Flu Death and 2254 Cases of H1N1

Swine Flu UPDATE:US Reports Third Swine Flu Death and 2254 Cases of H1N1, as more than 2,200 cases of the virus have been reported across the United States.

U.S. Costa Rica has confirmed a fatality and three more countries found cases of the virus H1N1 or the swine flu.

America’s last fatality was a man 53 year old, with a heart condition who died in Washington. He has been verified to have had the virus according to health officials.

On Saturday, May 9th, 2009, Australia, Norway and Japan all confirmed cases of the virus, which emerged from Mexico and has killed 48 people there. Also, three deaths have been verified in the US, one in Canada and now one in Costa Rica. All are reported to have suffered from underlying health ailments.

In the US, health officials have declared the 30 year old man who died in Washington state last week, had a heart condition.

This last man, who died in Costa Rica, was also suffering from diabetes and lung disease.

Studying Swine Flu Trends

Globally, cases of the swine flu or the 2009 H1N1virus, have now been reported in 30 countries.

On Saturday, May 9th, 2009, Norway confirmed two cases, a man and a woman who had been studying in Mexico and Australia confirmed one, a woman who had been traveling in the US.

“I think right now the numbers don’t tell us as much as the trends,’ stated Dr Anne Schuchat.

In Japan, four people, a teacher and three students, who had recently returned from Canada were found to have contacted the virus.

Forty eight other people who were on the same flight as the four flu infected travelers have been placed under a 10 day quarantine, according to the Kyodo news agency .

Swine Flu UPDATE:US Reports Third Swine Flu Death and 2254 Cases of H1N1-According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States has confirmed the number of 2,254 cases as of Saturday, May 9th, 2009. This figure is up from 1,639 a day earlier. Of these cases, 104 people were still in the hospital.

CDC official Dr Anne Schuchat stated that, “it was more important to focus on trends than numbers.”

“Fortunately, the severity of illness that we are seeing at this point doesn’t look as terrible as a category five kind of pandemic or the severity of impact that some had feared,” she continued.

But viruses were unpredictable and it is important to focus on how the virus was spreading and how it developed in the southern hemisphere, which was just beginning its flu season. Which will be a good scale as to what to expect in the northern hemisphere.

“So a lot of our emphasis.. is still understanding the epidemiology transmission, severity and viral characteristics, but also working with partners internationally to really prepare and evaluate issues in their countries,” Dr Anne Schuchat stated.

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