Swine flu has reached all continents, 168 countries, says WHO

By Sheilah Downey

The H1N1 virus, which originated in Mexico in April, has done the most damage to the Americas, according to newly-released numbers from the World Health Organization.

Of the 1,154 deaths caused by the H1N1 virus since it began, 1,008 of the deaths were in the Americas. More than 300 of the newly-reported deaths were also in the Americas.

While global cases of the disease have reached 162,380, WHO said this number may be an understatement.

"Given that countries are no longer required to test and report individual cases," stated the WHO press release, "the number of cases reported actually understates the real number of cases."

Countries and territories with newly reported cases as of July 31 are: Azerbaijan, Gabon, Grenada, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Monaco, Nauru, Swaziland and Suriname.

Most countries in North and South America experienced widespread activity, stated the report, while only two countries in Europe, the United Kingdom and Portugal, had widespread activity.

Chile and Argentina, in the midst of the winter flu season, reported "very high intensity acute respiratory disease acitivity," according to the report.

Countries reporting "high intensity activity" included Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Uruguay and Paraguay.

The United States and most of the rest of Europe reported low or moderate levels of activity.

Five countries, including the United Kingdom, reported moderate impact on the healthcare system, while the remaining countries reported low levels of impact.