MEDICINE

Asian countries agreed on Friday to boost drug stockpiles, share essential supplies and tighten surveillance against an H1N1 flu virus that posed an imminent health threat to the region.

The World Health Organization is watching a suspected flu case in Benin which, if confirmed, would be the first on the African continent.

Outbreaks of the new H1N1 swine flu continue to spread across the United States, with 896 confirmed cases and more to come, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday.

Mexicans were returning to normal life on Thursday after a five-day business shutdown due to the H1N1 flu virus and China eased quarantine measures, but the virus spread slowly in Europe.

Afghanistan's only known pig has been locked in a room, away from visitors to Kabul zoo where it normally grazes beside deer and goats, because people are worried it could infect them with the virus popularly known as swine flu.

Haitian officials rejected a Mexican ship carrying mostly needed food aids due to swine flu fears. The news came Wednesday as Mexico ended a five-day shutdown designed to contain the virus.

The great zombie swine flu hoax of 2009 had the Twitterati briefly in uproar.

The Mexican capital began to stir back to life on Wednesday with the streets again clogged with traffic and taco vendors working the sidewalks after authorities lifted a five-day shutdown to try to contain the deadly H1N1 flu.

Dutch biotech firm Crucell reported a surprise first-quarter profit on Wednesday, its third in a row, on strong sales of paediatric vaccines and the company, widely viewed as a takeover target, reiterated its outlook.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Sunday federal health officials have found that eight prep school students in New York have contracted swine flu, the same flu that has killed more than 80 people in Mexico and infected 1,300 more.

A Texas woman with the new H1N1 flu died earlier this week, state health officials said, the second death outside of Mexico, where the epidemic appeared to be waning.

A Texan with H1N1 flu died earlier this week, state officials said, only the second death outside Mexico where the epidemic appeared to be waning.

The first face transplant patient today went before cameras today and thanked the doctors who performed her life changing surgery following a devastating shooting incident in 2004.

China has tightened visa rules for citizens from the United States, which has reported the second highest number of swine flu cases in the world.

Mexico was flying home dozens of its citizens on Tuesday quarantined in China over fears of a new flu virus and announced plans to revive its economy hit by the deadly epidemic, which showed signs of easing.

The new H1N1 flu virus is expected to surge in coming months in the southern hemisphere when the winter season begins, health experts said, calling for continued vigilance even if the virus appears to be mild.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Monday on its website there are 36 states and 286 cases which have been laboratory confirmed hit by the new flu. The H1N1 new flu virus appears to be widespread in the United States and seems to be hitting mostly younger people.

The new H1N1 flu virus appears to be fairly widespread in the United States and seems to be hitting mostly younger people, with very few cases reported in people over 50, U.S. health officials said on Sunday.

Mexico announced plans on Monday to send a plane to retrieve dozens of its nationals confined across China, which quarantined them as a protective measure against a deadly new strain of flu.

Offices and businesses stayed closed in Mexico on Monday to try to prevent the spread of a deadly new strain of flu, and authorities said a sharp drop in new cases showed the battle was being won.

The World Health Organization is likely to raise its flu alert to the top of its six-point scale and declare a pandemic, its director-general indicated in an interview published on Monday.