The A/H1N1 influenza pandemic has been spreading at an unprecedented speed, much faster than other pandemics in history, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on July 16.
"In past pandemics, influenza viruses have needed more than six months to spread as widely as the new H1N1 virus has spread in less than six weeks," the UN agency said in a briefing posted on its website.
The new flu virus has caused more than 94,500 laboratory- confirmed infections in more than 130 countries and regions, with more than 400 deaths, according to figures released by the WHO on July 6. Since that date no updated figures have been released.
The agency will no longer issue the global tables showing the numbers of confirmed cases for all countries, because the number of infections is increasing so fast in many countries that it has become almost impossible for them to follow through laboratory tests, said the WHO briefing.
