Swine flu outbreak likely to continue, officials say
As numbers rise daily, the mechanism of the virus remains shrouded
By Nathan Seppa
Even as public health data on the new swine flu outbreak pour in, the biological mechanism by which the virus sickens people remains poorly understood, scientists say.
Forty cases of swine flu have been confirmed in five U.S. states, says Richard Besser, acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. But only one U.S. case has led to hospitalization, and no one in the United States has died. The cases appeared in New York, Texas, Kansas, Ohio and California, Besser said at a news briefing on April 27.
In contrast, hundreds of people have reportedly fallen ill in Mexico and a reported 149 have died from what is apparently the same strain of swine flu. Some reports put the mortality number much higher.
Also on Monday, reports emerged suggesting that swine flu cases have turned up in Britain, Canada, New Zealand and France.