, 26 people have died from laboratory confirmed cases of the A (H1N1) virus, including a child in the USA. WHO believes a pandemic is “imminent” and says the focus is now on “minimizing the impact of the virus…rather than on stopping its spread internationally”. As of 0600 h GMT May 4, according to WHO, 20 countries have officially reported 985 cases of A (H1N1) influenza, including ten European countries, the USA (226 cases), and Canada (85 cases). Apart from Mexico, so far, four other countries have reported confirmed laboratory case of A (H1N1) infection in Latin America.
In the USA the epicentre of the outbreak is in New York, but across the country hundreds of schools have closed. Schools with pupils who have suspected or confirmed cases of influenza A are being recommended to close for 14 days. “I do believe we'll see an escalation of cases in the US”, said Paul Jarris, director of the US Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
Melvin Kramer, president of EHA Consulting Group—a public health consultancy in Maryland—emphasises that the outbreak must be seen in context. “It's scary, it's bad but I think we've been hyped”, said Kramer, “35 000 to 37 000 people in the US die every single year from seasonal flu.”