Asia, Flu | featured news

The increasing number of swine flu cases in Japan raises the likelihood that the World Health Organization will soon have to raise its pandemic alert level to 6.

Swine flu sickened 21 more students in Japan and Turkey reported its first case of the potentially pandemic virus that's spread to about 40 countries.

India and Turkey record their first cases of swine flu, giving further evidence that the virus is spreading.

A 30-year-old male student enrolled in the United States has been confirmed as China's second H1N1, or swine flu, case, and its first on the mainland, according to the information office of the Chinese Health Ministry.

Chinese health authorities have quarantined 164 of the 189 passengers and crew members aboard a flight from Mexico to Shanghai that carried a man now ill with the A/H1N1 flu virus.

Hong Kong will quarantine about 300 hotel guests and staff for a week after a guest was found to have the A/H1N1 flu virus.

Cases of swine flu were confirmed early today in Israel and New Zealand, the first definitive proof that the dangerous new virus has spread to the Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions, but international health officials said there was little point in imposing border or travel restrictions or otherwise trying to contain the virus.