WHO reports over 6,000 swine flu deaths worldwide
07/11/200903:02
MOSCOW, November 7 (RIA Novosti) - About 6,100 people have died from swine flu worldwide, with the total number of officially confirmed cases exceeding 482,000 in 199 countries, the World Health Organization has reported.
A week ago, almost 5,700 deaths and 440,000 confirmed H1N1 infections had been reported.
In its report on Friday, WHO said swine flu fatalities had been registered for the first time in Afghanistan, Mongolia, Tanzania, Ukraine and Croatia.
As of November 1, over 78,000 swine flu cases and at least 300 fatalities have been registered in Europe alone.
The H1N1 virus has so far been confirmed in 3,122 cases in Russia. Most cases have been registered in Moscow, Siberia's Krasnoyarsk and the Trans-Baikal regions.
The country's sanitary and consumer rights watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said on Friday that Russia's swine flu death toll has risen to 19.
Swine flu cases in Russia began growing considerably in October, traditionally the time for a seasonal flu outbreak. The country's first swine flu deaths were reported on October 27.
Russian Health Minister Tatyana Golikova acknowledged on Friday that the problem was serious, but said there was no reason to panic.
She said the ministry had stepped up control of drug stores' supplies and prices, and confirmed that mass swine flu vaccinations in the country would begin on November 9.
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