Brazil registers 899 swine flu deaths: officialBrazil has registered 899 deaths from swine flu swine flu n. A highly contagious form of human influenza caused by a filterable virus identical or related to a virus formerly isolated from infected swine. , maintaining its status as the country worst-hit by the pandemic pandemic /pan·dem·ic/ (pan-dem´ik) 1. a widespread epidemic of a disease. 2. widely epidemic. pan·dem·ic adj. Epidemic over a wide geographic area. n. , according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the health ministry in South America's largest nation. In announcing the data, the ministry also said that the number of serious cases in the country "fell for the fifth straight week," indicating a reduction of the spread of the A(H1N1) virus. Brazil became the country with the highest death toll in late August when it surpassed the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , which now has 593 swine-flu-related fatalities. Brazil's neighbor Argentina has 512 deaths. In its latest bulletin, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that as of September 6 the virus has killed at least 3,205 people worldwide after being discovered in March this year in Mexico. Southeastern Sao Paulo state has been the worst hit, with 327 deaths, followed by Parana in the south with 222. Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, city, Brazil Rio de Janeiro (rē`ō də zhänā`rō, Port. rē`  thĭ zhənĕē`r has recorded 84 deaths.
On Tuesday, the WHO warned swine flu will have a "devastating dev·as·tate tr.v. dev·as·tat·ed, dev·as·tat·ing, dev·as·tates 1. To lay waste; destroy. 2. To overwhelm; confound; stun: was devastated by the rude remark. effect" on poor countries where lives will be lost due to ill-equipped health care facilities. "The pandemic will test the world on the issue of fairness in a substantial way," WHO chief Margaret Chan said in a speech in Copenhagen. She noted that swine flu will cause "manageable disruption" in affluent countries. But it will "almost certainly have a devastating impact in countries with few health facilities and staff, no regular supplies of essential medicines, little diagnostic and laboratory capacities, and vast populations with no access to safe water and sanitation," she said. US drug regulators Tuesday approved a swine flu vaccine, keeping officials on track to begin a mass vaccination campaign by next month. The US government has purchased 195 million doses of swine flu vaccine and will make shots against the influenza A influenza A n. Influenza caused by infection with a strain of influenza virus type A. influenza A Infectious disease An avian virus, especially of ducks–which in China live near the pig reservoir and 'vector'; (H1N1) virus available free of charge starting next month, Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said. "The large-scale 2009 H1N1 vaccine program will begin mid-October with small amounts of vaccine becoming available the first week of October," she said. 
|
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion