Swine Flu worsens: First death in New York

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First swine flu death in New York

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New York has recorded its first death from swine flu - the sixth fatality overall in the US - as the deadly virus epidemic shows no signs of slowing down.

Mitchell Wiener († 55) was a teacher at a school in Queens and became ill over a week ago, according to ‘The New York Post’.

He apparently underestimated the symptoms at first and only went to the hospital on Wednesday - but it was already too late.

Wiener was put into an artificial coma and was attached to a respiratory machine. “His state was extremely critical,” a spokesman from Flushings Hospital said. He died on Sunday at 6.17pm.

Authorities in New York have closed five more schools to stop the virus from spreading any further, bringing to 11 the total number where teaching has been interrupted.

It was also revealed at the weekend that the number of infected people in the US has risen to 100,000, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO) show that almost 8,500 people are ill in 39 different countries with a total of 72 deaths.

• In Japan, the number of people infected with swine flu has risen. Official reports show there are 129 infected patients, mostly in the Kobe and Osaka regions. To stop the virus from spreading, 1,000 schools and kindergartens are closed.

• Chile has announced its first two cases of the virus. The women, aged 25 and 32, contracted the flu after returning from a holiday in the Dominican Republic.

• The swine flu originally broke out in Mexico, where there are roughly 2,900 people ill with the disease and 66 people have died.

• Canada has 500 recorded cases, Costa Rica has nine and at the weekend, India and Turkey reported their first victims.