Swine flu deaths jump in one week

The number of swine flu deaths has leapt worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The biggest rise in cases was in what the WHO calls the American region, where they have jumped by 636 to 4,175.

The WHO said that, in the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere, there has been an unusually early start to the winter influenza season in some countries.

During the same week, H1N1-related deaths in the Asia-Pacific region also rose to 1,070 deaths.

Because cases have begun to occur more frequently, Ukranian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has ordered that schools and cinemas be closed for three weeks.

Tymoshenko said that all school establishments in Ukraine will be put on three weeks of holiday, and that all public gatherings and concerts will be disallowed.

Because Ukraine has borders with four countries in the EU, the government also plans to limit the movements of its citizens.

Sixty seven Ukranians have died of flu so far this season, but the president of Ukraine maintains that only one death has been due to A(H1N1) swine flu.

The Ukrainian National Security Council has put the number of dead higher, at four.

Health Minister Vassyl Kniazevich said that Ukraine has entered into the zone of the swine flu epidemic.

Afghanistan has also declared that it will close schools for three weeks in order to stop the spread of swine flu.

China has also reported a rise in cases, and a student at Beijing university became the fourth person to die of H1N1 swine flu in China.

China's State Council, headed by Premier Wen Jiabao, said that the epidemic will continue to develop in the coming period, and the prevention and control situation is extremely grim.

The university student who died had been participating in military drills with other students.

He began to become feverish, was rushed to the hospital, and died the next day.

A further 28 of his classmates also tested positive for the virus, but all of them have ended up in stable condition.

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