WHO Report Says H1N1 Deaths Top 11,500

December 26, 2009

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Posted on: Friday, 25 December 2009, 11:30 CST

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global death toll for the

H1N1 swine flu virus has reached more than 11,500. The announcement came on

Wednesday, nearly eight months after reports of the initial outbreaks began

surfacing in April.

" As of 20 December 2009, worldwide more than 208 countries and overseas

territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic

influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 11,516 deaths, " read the WHO's official

statement.

In the weekly report, WHO officials also stated that there had been a recent

spike in the number of deaths related to the virus—almost 1,000 since it issued

its last update. Experts are currently speaking of a peak or plateau in

infection rates for North American and Western Europe, while the spread of the

virus appears to be diminishing throughout much of the Asian continent.

Despite the territorial breadth of the virus' spread, covering vast swathes of

land across the United States and Canada, the actual rate of H1N1 infection as

well as symptoms of flu-like illnesses have been falling substantially in recent

weeks according to the statistics coming out of hospitals and clinics.

" In the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere, transmission of pandemic

influenza virus remains active and geographically widespread, however overall

disease activity has recently peaked in much of the hemisphere, " said the report

which can be found on the organization's website.

In most of Western Europe as well, epidemiologists say that the virus is still

actively spreading, though the actual rate of infection appears to have already

peaked and leveled off. The eastern portion of the continent is still

experiencing a rise in infection rates, however, and the worst may be yet to

come.

On Tuesday, the WHO issued a sort of pre-report which cautiously stated the H1N1

pandemic seemed to be relatively moderate, but stressed that it is still

affecting an unusually large proportion of healthy young adults.

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