Japan sees new cases of flu soar

2009-05-18 09:10 BJT

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Special Report: World tackles A/H1N1 flu |

The total number of confirmed cases of A/H1N1 flu in Japan is nearing 100. This comes after a total of 93 people in Osaka and Hyogo prefectures were confirmed to have been infected on Sunday.

The newly-confirmed cases include high school students, college students, their family members and teachers. They had no recent record of overseas travel.

The total number infected in the country now stands at 97, including the first four cases contracted in North America.

Experts warn the country is facing the risk of a grassroots outbreak which could prompt the WHO to raise its flu pandemic alert to the highest level of 6.

So far, the A/H1N1 flu virus has been found in 40 countries and regions across the globe, with more than 84-hundred confirmed cases.

Editor: Zhang Pengfei | Source: CCTV.com