The death toll from swine flu outbreak has risen by 1,000 over the last five days and reached 11,516, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.

Last week, there were 10,582 swine flu deaths reported.

"As of 20 December 2009, worldwide more than 208 countries and overseas territories or communities have reported laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009, including at least 11,516 deaths," WHO said in its latest report.

Overall the A/H1N1 virus's "activity has recently peaked in much of the [northern] hemisphere," including North America and western Europe, and now is dropping, the WHO said.

The number of infections continues to rise in some areas of central and eastern Europe, as well as of western, southern and central Asia, which were hit by the virus outbreak later than other parts of the world, the organization said.

WHO had earlier suspended publishing weekly reports on the spread of swine flu after some countries refused to report each infection.

Russia's sanitary watchdog Rospotrebnadzor said there were 21,000 swine flu cases officially registered across the country as of December 7.

MOSCOW, December 23 (RIA Novosti)