Swine flu spreading rapidly in Germany

The German Health Ministry's official lab says swine flu is beginning to spread more rapidly through the country. The Robert Koch Institut reported on Thursday that 637 new cases were registered the day before, bringing the total to 2,455 cases in Germany.

The German Health Ministry's official lab says swine flu is beginning to spread more rapidly through the country. The Robert Koch Institut reported on Thursday that 637 new cases were registered the day before, bringing the total to 2,455 cases in Germany.

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A week earlier the country only had 834 registered cases. Most of the new cases are people returning from outside the country, though some have contracted it in Germany as well. The institute says most of the cases have been mild. There have been no related fatalities so far.

Health Ministry official Klaus Theo Schroeder tells Deutschlandfunk radio that plans are still on track to have a vaccination ready by the end of September.