MOSCOW, August 5 (RIA Novosti) - There have now been 1,154 confirmed deaths from swine flu worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.
Around 162,380 confirmed cases of swine flu were reported in 168 countries and overseas territories. The report says that all seven continents are affected by the pandemic.
Azerbaijan, Gabon, Grenada, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Monaco, Nauru, Swaziland, and Suriname have recently reported their first cases.
According to WHO spokeswoman, Fadela Chaib, "no one knows" exactly how many people are infected. WHO has decided not to ask for confirmation of each case of the A/H1N1 virus, because for some countries this approach is too "resource-intensive."
The number of infections in Russia continues to grow. According to Chief State Health Inspector Gennady Onishchenko, the number of confirmed cases has reached 55.
Oleg Kiselyov, director of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Influenza Institute, said last Monday that the first batch of a vaccine against the A/H1N1 virus would be ready by October 1 in Russia. He added that the vaccine would be given to volunteers from August 20.
