Global swine flu toll rises to over 3,900: WHO

GENEVA - A total of 3,917 people have died of swine flu worldwide since the outbreak of the viral disease in April, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said in a latest update Friday.

Of all the deaths, 2,948 occurred in the Americas, followed by the West Pacific region, with 362 deaths. The other four WHO regional offices, South-East Asia, Europe, East Mediterranean and Africa reported 340, 154, 72 and 41 deaths respectively.

The WHO, which declared a swine flu pandemic in June, said the total number of laboratory confirmed cases worldwide is now over 318,925, but this estimate is significantly lower than the actual number of cases that have occurred, as many countries have stopped testing and reporting individual cases, particularly the milder ones.

In the northern hemisphere, where winter is approaching, influenza cases continue to increase in many areas. But in the southern hemisphere, influenza transmission has largely returned to baseline or is continuing to decline, the global health agency said.