H1N1 Virus Swine Flu Cases US And Worldwide On The Rise

The number of known H1N1 Virus swine flu cases worldwide went to over 800 today, Sunday, May 03 2009. The number of H1N1 Virus Swine Flu Cases in the United States reached 66 cases confirmed, according to the Center For Disease Control.

The latest CDC figures bring the number of confirmed worldwide cases to 853.

The World Health Organization reported 787 cases of swine flu, known to scientists as influenza A (H1N1), before the latest U.S. numbers. The WHO said the virus has been confirmed in 17 countries and has contributed to 20 deaths, 19 of them in Mexico.

New York has the most confirmed U.S. cases, with 63; Texas is second, with 40; and California is third, with 26. A Texas case — a Mexican toddler who was visiting relatives in the United States — is the only U.S. fatality.

The controversy is how dangerous the H1N1 Virus Swine Flu is: the mortality rate in Mexico continues to drop, where the number of confirmed cases wordlwide seems to be trending upwards at a fairly dramatic rate. The question is, will this trend upward allow for a quick enough mutation of the H1N1 Virus/Swine Flu that will increase the mortality rate? It seems its a race against time to create a vaccine and distribute it worldwide before the vaccine becomes worthless due to either the H1N1 virus being too widespread, or mutated too far to have any effect.