GMS INFLUENZA A (H1N1) Daily Update as of May 6, 2009 (8:30 AM)
Current WHO Pandemic Alert Phase: 5 
Influenza A (H1N1) Cases by Country (as of 8 AM PST May 6th)
PLEASE NOTE: The table has been reformatted to address new cases and deaths on a per-day basis, with totals provided for comparison purposes
| WHO Regions & Country | Lab Confirmed Cases | Lab Confirmed Deaths | ||
| New Cases | Total Cases | New Deaths | Total Deaths | |
| AMERICAS | ||||
| Mexico | 232 | 822 | 4 | 29 |
| US | 239 | 642 | 1 | 2 |
| Canada | 25 | 165 | 0 | 0 |
| El Salvador | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Costa Rica | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Columbia | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Guatemala (New) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| EUROPE | ||||
| UK | 9 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| Spain | 3 | 57 | 0 | 0 |
| Germany | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| France | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Austria | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Netherlands | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Switzerland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Denmark | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ireland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Italy | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Portugal | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| EASTERN MEDITERREAN | ||||
| Israel | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| WESTERN PACIFIC | ||||
| Hong Kong | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| New Zealand | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| SOUTH-EAST ASIA | ||||
| Rep. of Korea | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTALS | 513 | 1754 | 5 | 31 |
Local/National News
- The Alberta girl who fell seriously ill with Influenza A (H1N1) is continuing to recover according to Dr. Andre Corriveau, the province's chief medical officer of health. Provincial health investigators are still searching for clues about how the girl contracted swine flu. She has no known connection to Mexico where A H1N1 virus originated. Globe and Mail
- On Tuesday, May 5th, there were 25 new confirmed cases in Canada. While there are eight provinces with confirmed cases, the majority are in BC (46), Nova Scotia (48), Ontario (36), and Alberta (26).
- The Chinese government has defended its decision to quarantine 22 Canadian students in a hotel in the northeast of the country, saying it was a legal response to the threat posed by the spread of the H1N1 flu virus and that the students in question approved of their situation. Globe and Mail
International News
- The Texas Department of State Health services, is reporting the first death of a Texas resident with H1N1 flu. The woman was from Cameron County (which is on the Mexican Border) and had chronic underlying health conditions; she died earlier this week. AFP
- Dozens of Mexican nationals quarantined in China without having any swine flu symptoms arrived home Wednesday on a government-chartered jet, some complaining of "humiliation and discrimination" by the Chinese. AP
- The WHO is not yet seeing clear signs of community transmission in Europe, although Spain had 54 cases and the United Kingdom had 18 as of yesterday. Dr Fukuda, the WHO's temporary assistant director-general for Health Security and the Environment, said the cases in Spain are related to travel, while the UK has some travel-linked cases in schools. CIDRAP
- Dr. Fukuda also said that most patients continue to be young, for reasons that are not yet clear, though it may be because younger people tend to travel more.
- Some US states, including Minnesota, North Carolina, and New Hampshire, are cutting back on testing for the new flu virus. Officials said the virus is behaving more like seasonal influenza, and its wide geographic extent makes the identification of individual cases less useful in tracking the epidemic. Minnesota statement
Vaccine News
- US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said yesterday at a press briefing that drug companies will accelerate production of the seasonal flu vaccine to help provide the capacity to make a vaccine against the novel H1N1 virus. Health officials have said the CDC is developing a seed strain as the first step toward making the vaccine, though a decision to use the vaccine would be considered separately. CIDRAP
Latest Guidance from the WHO, the U.S. CDC, and PHAC
- The CDC has issued an Update on School (K – 12) Dismissal and Childcare Facilities: Interim CDC Guidance in Response to Human Infections with the 2009 Influenza A H1N1 Virus, with some key changes:
- School closure is no longer advised for a suspected or confirmed case of novel influenza A (H1N1) unless there is a magnitude of faculty or student absenteeism that interferes with the school’s ability to function.
- Schools that were closed based on previous interim CDC guidance related to this outbreak may reopen.
- The CDC has also released guidance for Key Mental and Behavioural Health Issues Related to Social Distancing For State, Local, And Tribal Health Departments And Community Based Organizations
How has the swine flu affected Afghanistan’s only pig?
Afghanistan's only known pig has been locked in a room, away from visitors to the Kabul Zoo where it normally grazes beside deer and goats, because people are worried it could infect them with the virus popularly known as swine flu.
The pig is a curiosity in Muslim Afghanistan, where pork and pig products are illegal because they are considered irreligious, and has been in quarantine since Sunday after visitors expressed alarm it could spread the new flu strain.
“For now the pig is under quarantine, we built it a room because of swine influenza,” Aziz Gul Saqib, director of Kabul Zoo, told Reuters. “We've done this because people are worried about getting the flu.”Globe and Mail
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