Source: Xinhua
05-06-2009 14:22
Special Report: Tech MaxBEIJING, May 6 (Xinhua) -- United Nations Secretary-General BanKi-moon has called for "a collective global response" as the number of the A/H1N1 infections continues to rise mildly across the world.
"So far we have been fortunate that its (H1N1 flu) consequence has been relatively mild -- we have learnt valuable lessons," Ban told his monthly press conference in New York Tuesday.
"This outbreak is yet another reminder that we live in an inter-connected world. A threat to one country is a threat to all, requiring a collective global response," he said.
According to the latest official figures, 1,883 infections have been confirmed worldwide.
World Health Organization (WHO) Assistant Director-General Keiji Fukuda said Tuesday that the disease was still spreading, but there was still no evidence showing the new flu virus causing community-level transmission in regions outside North America.
"We do not feel we are seeing that right now," Fukuda told a news briefing, adding that most cases in Spain and other European countries were related to travel.
However, England's chief medical officer Liam Donaldson said it is "too early" to assume the A/H1N1 flu outbreak is "a mild infection." England reported later Tuesday a new case of A/H1N1 flu, bringing the confirmed total infections in Britain to 28,
Donaldson was quoted by the BBC as warning against complacency because flu viruses could change character "very rapidly," even though no one in Britain has died so far from the new flu.
On Tuesday, the U.S. state of Texas reported the second human A/H1N1 flu death in the state, which is also the second death in the United States which now has 651 confirmed infections.
Few details have been released but the state's health department said in a brief statement that a woman, who died from the disease earlier this week, was a Texas resident living in Cameron County, along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The woman had chronic underlying health conditions, the statement said.
A Mexican toddler who was visiting relatives died from the disease last week in Houston.
