Blossoms continue to monitor the 'swine flu' situation.

As of 06:00 GMT, 10 June 2009, 74 countries have officially reported 27,737 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection, including 141 deaths, which equates to 0.5% mortality rate, significantly below seasonal flu mortality rates.

It is widely anticipated that the World Health Organisation (WHO) will officially declare a pandemic imminently.  The move to pandemic Phase 6 is official confirmation that the virus will continue to spread globally.  It is not a signal that the virus is getting more virulent or severe, rather, it is a measure of geographical spread.

Several manufacturers now have an H1N1 seed virus strain, and will be completing safety and efficacy testing in the coming months.  It is not clear how well the virus will grow or how many doses people will need to be protected.  The first bulk doses might be ready in the late autumn and would most likely be earmarked for frontline emergency staff and those with chronic respiratory problems.

Several dozen researchers, led by Rebecca Garten of the CDC, recently sequenced full or partial genomes of 76 samples of the new virus.  In a paper published in Science, they confirm that the closest genetic relatives of the new virus are swine-flu strains from both North America and Eurasia.

To read more - click here