Philippines Reports another Swine Flu Outbreak

MANILA — The Philippines confirmed a swine flu outbreak in a rural northern village Monday as the country's infection tally neared 200, while Thailand reported its largest single-day jump in infections.

Efforts have been made across the region to contain the virus, but health authorities have predicted that it will spread further. The World Health Organization declared it a pandemic last week.

Nurse Melissa Salinas prepares a syringe with a flu vaccine prior to administering it to employees of the Makati City Hall at Manila's financial district Makati in the Philippines. (Photo: AP)

Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said Monday that an outbreak had struck the farming village of Hilera in the northern, rice-producing province of Nueva Ecija after 20 villagers—who have not recently traveled outside the village—tested positive for the virus in recent weeks.

Eight of those infected were elementary school students and the rest were adults.

"You can't stop the spread of this virus anymore," Duque told The Associated Press. "The mitigation efforts are aimed at slowing it down then working to help villagers address the infections."

Duque said 46 new cases were reported Monday, bringing the number of infections in the country to 193.

All the cases are mild and 71 have fully recovered, he said.

The World Health Organization said 74 countries had reported nearly 30,000 cases of swine flu, including 145 deaths, as of June 12.

Thailand's Public Health Ministry on Monday confirmed 51 new cases of swine flu—the largest single-day jump since the country's first infection was confirmed in May.

Workers use brooms to scrub clean a street in the Thai city of Pattaya on June 15. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva urged the country not to panic about swine flu, after the number of cases grew nine fold in four days and a cluster emerged in a key tourist hub. (Photo: Getty Images)

Health Ministry Permanent Secretary Prat Boonyavongvirot said 201 infections had been reported in Thailand and that the number of confirmed cases was likely to rise—particularly in schools and factories—with the arrival of more laboratory results.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva urged public calm Sunday after the country's number of swine flu cases tripled in two days.

China reported 31 more cases of swine flu Monday, bringing the total on the mainland to 196.

The Health Ministry said on its Web site late Sunday that the cities of Beijing and Shanghai had reported more cases, as did provinces in central, eastern and southern China.

Hong Kong's swine flu cases hit 101 as nine more people were found Monday to be infected.

Controller Thomas Tsang of the Center for Health Protection said two children—ages 6 and 8—were confirmed with the virus on Monday, and that they had not been in contact with infected patients or traveled overseas recently. He said authorities could not determine how they contracted the disease.

In New Zealand, authorities reported 15 new cases of swine flu, bringing the South Pacific nation's total to 86.

For the first time, swine flu has been recorded in patients who had not left New Zealand or been in direct contact with someone who had, according to Health Minister Tony Ryall.

Containment measures taken to date had been successful in delaying the wider spread of the infection, he said, warning the case tally would rise further—after it spiked by 52 in the past three days.

Health officials were "working assiduously" to try to prevent the peak of the annual winter flu epidemic from coinciding with the peak in swine flu infections, he told reporters.

India also confirmed 14 new cases of swine flu on Monday, including seven teenage students who returned from an educational trip to the United States over the weekend, bringing the country's total to 30.