U.S. records first Swine Flu death in Texas

This first swine flu death in the U.S. has been confirmed in Texas with the death of a 23 month old toddler, this is first death of its kind to take place outside of Mexico.

The toddler is reported to have recently traveled to Mexico and arrived in Brownsville, Texas, on April 4 where he subsequently developed flu symptoms four days later.

The Texas Department of State Health Services said Wednesday the Mexico City boy had underlying health problems when he traveled to Brownsville Texas to visit relatives. He was admitted to a Houston hospital a few days after developing a fever and other flu symptoms and died on Monday night.

New York, California, Kansas, Idaho and Indiana are other U.S. states to have reported confirmed Swine Flu cases.

President Barak Obama said schools should consider closure should the spread of the virus worsen.

Further cases have been reported in Germany and Spain and Britain.

The World Health Organization, has confirmed 105 cases of swine flu in seven countries. Confirmed cases of the disease continue to rise in Europe, where the French Health Minister called for suspension of flights from the EU to Mexico, even as swine flu death toll appears to be stabilizing in Mexico.

Flights to Mexico have been banned by Cuba and Argentina and Americans have been advised to “avoid all non-essential travel to Mexico.”

The world has no vaccine to prevent infection but U.S. health officials aim to have a key ingredient for one ready in early May, the big step that vaccine manufacturers are awaiting.

Even if the World Health Organization ordered up emergency vaccine supplies — and that decision hasn't been made yet — it would take at least two more months to produce the initial shots needed for human safety testing, the AP reported.