Anne Schuchat

A top-ranking official of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says production of a vaccine for swine flu virus is behind schedule and people should take precautionary steps to prevent its spread. Dr. Anne Schuchat (SHU'-kit) said "more vaccine is coming out every day" but production isn't where it was expected to be at this juncture. Interviewed on CBS's "The Early Show" Wednesday, Schuchat said "we wish we had more vaccine, but unfortunately the virus and the production of the vaccine aren't really cooperating." For people anxious about getting their vaccinations, she said officials expect "widespread availability" by mid-November. Schuchat heads the CDC's ... Read Full Story

Iraq's northern autonomous region diagnosed three more cases of swine flu on Friday, including the 12-year-old brother of a female basketball player struck down by the condition. One of the new victims was on the same plane as five members of a women's basketball team and their male coach, returning from the United States, who were diagnosed a day earlier, said regional health minister Ziryan Osman. "We recorded three more cases," Osman told AFP. "Two of the people are from Sulaimaniyah, one of whom lives there, and the other is an Egyptian who works there. One case is a 12-year old child, who is ... Read Full Story

The number of recorded swine flu cases has reached 70,893 worldwide, with 311 deaths, since the virus was first discovered in late March, according to data released by the World Health Organisation on Monday. The data indicated 11,079 new influenza A(H1N1) infections, including 48 deaths, since the last bulletin on Friday. The largest increase in case-load was reported by the United States, which added 6,268 cases including 40 deaths, bringing the total number of infections to 27,717 including 127 deaths. Canada posted a jump of 1,043 new cases, with its total infections now reaching 7,775 including 21 deaths. Australia showed an increase of 758 ... Read Full Story

Three people were sent home from the Glastonbury music festival with suspected swine flu on Saturday, organisers said. Two students at British universities, and a 10-year-old child from a family of four were all taken from the festival attended by more than 170,000 people to isolation facilities. They then returned to their homes. Festival spokesman Christo Hird said: "Three unconnected people were taken off site, straight to an isolation unit on the advice of the doctor and have now gone home. "They presented with symptoms. All medical staff have been fully briefed. The view of the chief medical officer is that they had this ... Read Full Story

Nepal has recorded its first cases of swine flu, in three members of a family living in the United States who are visiting their homeland, the health ministry said Monday. The couple and their eight-year-old son arrived in Nepal via Doha on June 21 and were tested for the virus after the boy complained of fever, the ministry said. "A US-based non-resident Nepali couple and their son have been diagnosed with the pandemic H1N1 2009 virus," said ministry official Manas Kumar Banerjee. "The father, 42, mother, 38, and their eight-year-old son, were all diagnosed with swine flu. Infection was suspected after the eight-year-old boy ... Read Full Story