Over 200 new A/H1N1 cases have been added to the tally of confirmed cases worldwide on Thursday as the world scrambles for measures to curb the virus.
The global confirmed A/H1N1 cases have risen to at least 6,498 in 35 countries and regions, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and governments data.
Peru, which confirmed its first case of the new H1N1 flu strain in a 27-year-old woman, was the latest to appear on the tally of confirmed cases.
The woman tested positive of the virus has recently returned from the United States, the country's health minister Oscar Ugarte said on Thursday.
Mexico, which is responsible for most of the deaths caused by the A/H1N1 strain, Thursday raised the death roll of the virus to 64 from previously reported 60.
Britain confirmed seven new cases on Thursday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 78.
So far, all infections in Britain have been "mild" and cases have been diagnosed and treated early, which have reduced the severity of symptoms and helped to limit the spread.
Meanwhile, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said both France and Belgium confirmed one more case in the day.
The cumulative number of confirmed cases of the A/H1N1 flu virus in the European Union (EU) and EFTA (the European Free Trade Association) countries increased to 222, with 100 cases in Spain, 14 in France and 12 in Germany, the ECDC said. Up to now, 16 European countries have reported A/H1N1 cases.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Thursday shifted to a mixed reporting of confirmed and probable human A/H1N1 cases from the previous practice of solely monitoring on proved cases.
The number of confirmed and probable cases stood at 4,298 in 47 U.S. states Thursday, as compared with the 3,352 confirmed cases in 45 states recorded for Wednesday, said the CDC.
As the A/H1N1 virus continue spreading worldwide, vaccine makers and other experts met Thursday at the WHO to nail down measures to fight the evolving virus.
An effective vaccination against the epidemic could be quite elusive as as the virus constantly mutates. Pharmaceutical companies are waiting for final decisions as to where to focus on the development and manufacturing of vaccines.
The expert group's recommendations will be passed to WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, who is expected to work out advices to be given to vaccine manufacturers next week.
(Xinhua News Agency May 15, 2009)
