Brazil, Argentina report first swine flu cases
08/05/2009 09:55 RIO DE JANEIRO, May 8 (RIA Novosti) - Brazil and Argentina have confirmed their first cases of swine flu, joining a vast list of countries already hit by the virus, regional authorities have said.
In Brazil, four cases of the A/H1N1 virus have been confirmed, the country's Health Minister Jose Temporao said on Thursday.
Two cases were registered in Sao Paulo, one in Rio de Janeiro and the other in Minas Gerais, the minister said.
All of the victims are young people who have recently returned from Mexico and the U.S. They are however reported to be feeling well and are under medical supervision.
Argentinean Health Minister Graciela Ocana said the first person confirmed with swine flu was a man who returned from Mexico in late April. He has already been released from hospital.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said that global swine flu cases of A/H1N1 had reached 2,371 in 24 countries, with a death toll of 44.
In Mexico, the number of swine flu cases has been put at 1,112, with 42 dead. Two people have died in the U.S., where officials confirmed 952 cases.
Outbreaks of the virus have been reported in Canada (201), Spain (81), Germany (10), Israel (6), France (5), New Zealand (5) and Italy (5). In South America, swine flu was also confirmed in Colombia (1), and in Central America - in Costa Rica (1), El Salvador (2) and Guatemala (1).
Despite the dramatic media reports that accompanied the recent outbreak of swine flu, leading scientists say the virus is a mild strain and only a further mutation would make it a serious threat. Swine flu deaths in Mexico, the worst hit by the virus, are around average for seasonal flu fatalities.
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