Over 22,000 people diagnosed with A(H1N1) virus: WHO

A total of 21,940 people in 69 countries have been diagnosed with the the influenza A(H1N1) virus, also called swine flu, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.

A total of 21,940 people in 69 countries have been diagnosed with the the influenza A(H1N1) virus, also called swine flu, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Friday.

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The number of confirmed A(H1N1) infections rose by 2,681 on Thursday after Luxembourg, Saudi Arabia and Barbados reported their first cases of swine flu.

A total of 125 people died due to swine flu, WHO said on its website on Friday.

WHO experts were to hold an emergency meeting Friday to decide on whether to declare a full-scale swine flu pandemic, media reports said.

The organisation said in May that about 4.9 million single doses of A(H1N1) vaccine could be produced worldwide annually, while up to one third of the world population could become infected in the case of a global pandemic.

Leading scientists however say the virus is a mild strain and only a further mutation would make it a serious threat. Swine flu death rates are around the norm for seasonal flu fatalities.