The World Health Organization said today that 103 people in Mexico have died in relation to the new A(H1N1) influenza, since the outbreak began in April, dpa reported. Globally, 125 people have died from the disease, the health agency said, though in some cases the victims were considered to have some underlying medical condition. There were 21,940 cases of infection across 69 countries, the WHO reported on its Website. The majority of the cases remained in North America. The United States had 11,054 laboratory-confirmed cases. Mexico reported 5,563 infections and Canada had 1,795. Australia was hardest hit outside North America, with 876 cases, but none fatal. Japan had 410 infections. In Europe, Britain reported 428 incidents of the virus, also known as swine flu. Spain had 218 cases. The WHO was convening later Friday its so-called emergency committee, a group of scientific experts. A spokeswoman in Geneva said the scientists would discuss by teleconference the severity of the disease and governments' responses to the outbreak. The new virus has been considered "moderate" in regards to severity, WHO officials have said. The group of scientific experts could recommend a change in phases in the WHO's pandemic influenza alert system. The agency was currently holding steady at Phase 5, the penultimate level. To raise it one more, evidence would have to show spreads of the disease within communities outside North America. At the start of the outbreak the alert was at Phase 3. WHO officials have indicated that while the system is based on geographic spread they would take into account the severity of the disease as well.
