Gangster Government

The number of deaths from H1N1 (swine flu) rose by 700 in a week, to top 5,700 since the virus was first identified in April, the WHO reported Friday, Agence France-Presse reports (10/30).

"The biggest rise in the past week was recorded in the Americas, w[h]ere 636 more people were reported killed by swine flu, bringing the region's death toll to 4,175, the UN agency said, AFP reports in a second story. "Fatal cases in Europe also climbed to at least 281, while those in Asia-Pacific rose to 1,070" (10/31). 

According to the latest WHO figures, there are an estimated 440,000 confirmed cases of H1N1 worldwide, BBC reports. However, because many countries have stopped recording individual cases of the virus, it is likely the latest statistic underestimates the total number of people affected by the virus (10/30). 

An international panel of vaccine experts advising the WHO on Friday concluded that a single dose of the H1N1 vaccine would likely offer anyone over six months of age protection against the H1N1 virus, the Washington Post reports. "The experts … recommended that countries that have made children a high priority for the vaccine should consider giving one dose to as many children as possible before administering a second dose," the newspaper writes. However, the group also acknowledged that data on children under 10 was "limited and more studies are needed," and advised countries to proceed with vaccination strategies "most appropriate to their population." 

Click to read more...