This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Additional influenza A (H1N1) deaths reported in U.S., Canada, Costa Rica
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Three additional deaths related to influenza A (H1N1) were reported in the United States, Canada and Costa Rica over the weekend.
According to data released by WHO, these new cases bring the number of deaths attributed to influenza A (H1N1) worldwide to 48. The majority of deaths have been reported in Mexico. No deaths from influenza A (H1N1) have been confirmed outside of North America.
Worldwide, 4,694 cases of influenza A (H1N1) have been confirmed in 30 countries, according to new data released by WHO. The majority of these cases have been in Mexico, the United States and Canada.
Officials from WHO say that quick and thorough responses from health departments throughout the world have helped prevent the influenza A (H1N1) outbreak from becoming even more widespread.
Margaret Chan, MD, MPH, director-general of WHO, said preparedness plans put in place throughout the world have been beneficial. “The world is better prepared for an influenza pandemic than at any time in history, thanks, in part, to your vigilance and diligence,” Chan said recently, speaking via videoconference to public health officials meeting in Bangkok. “Years of alert and expectation mean that most countries now have preparedness plans. Vaccine manufacturing capacity has increased sharply. Large stocks of antiviral drugs have been produced and procured.”
In the United States, confirmed cases of influenza A (H1N1) now total 2,532 in 44 states, according to data released yesterday by the CDC.