U.S. swine flu cases may have hit 1 million

Health officials estimate that as many as 1 million Americans now have the new swine flu. Lyn Finelli, a flu surveillance official with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, voiced the estimate at a vaccine advisory meeting Thursday in Atlanta.

The estimate is based on mathematical modeling. Nearly 28,000 U.S. cases have been reported to the CDC, accounting for roughly half the world's cases. The U.S. count includes 3,065 hospitalizations and 127 deaths.

Swine Flu Pandemic Is Closer, Says WHO

The World Health Organization declared a swine flu pandemic

WHO chief Dr. Margaret Chan made the announcement Thursday after the U.N. agency held an emergency meeting with flu experts.

Chan said she was moving the world to phase 6 — the agency's highest alert level — which means a pandemic, or global epidemic, is under way.


"The world is moving into the early days of its first influenza pandemic in the 21st century," Chan told reporters. "The (swine flu) virus is now unstoppable."

QUICK FACTS

Totals WorldWide

51,702 cases

229 deaths

97 Countries

2009 "Swine Flu" Update

China quarantines dozens of US students

Dozens of American high school students were quarantined in central China after some were diagnosed with swine flu, the government said Wednesday.

In New Zealand, the Roman Catholic Church placed restrictions on communion to stop the spread of the virus

A group of 42 American high school students and teachers was quarantined last Thursday in Yichang city in central Hubei province, China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement

Philippines Reports New H1N1 Outbreak

The Philippines confirmed a flu outbreak in 20 people in a rural northern village Monday as the country's H1N1 infection tally neared 200, while Thailand reported its largest single-day jump in infections.

"You can't stop the spread of this virus anymore," Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said. "The mitigation efforts are aimed at slowing it down, then working to help villagers address the infections."

Mr. Duque said 46 new cases were reported Monday, bringing the number of infections in the country to 193. All of the cases are mild and 71 have fully recovered, he said.