The number of countries infected by swine flu has risen to7 countries bringing to 112 the number of reported laboratory confirmed cases. The number of cases outside Mexico are relatively small, mostly among travelers returning from Mexico.

In the same time, new cases have been confirmed in United States, Canada, New Zeeland, Israel and Spain.

Cases from more European countries are currently under investigation namely:

France (22), Ireland (1), Netherlands (2), Norway (2), Poland (9), Spain (32), Switzerland (5)

The world Health Organization (WHO) reiterated that though the situation is changing very rapidly, we are not in a pandemic phase yet, however, we need to gear up preparedness at all levels.

WHO said that the world is better prepared than in the past and remains at pandemic alert phase 4, where mitigation (alleviating the consequences of the virus transmission) is the focus rather than containing the virus transmission, and investigations are being continued to better understand the situation.

WHO also said that the immediate identification of every case is very critical and would help to monitor the spread and evolution of the virus.

In the Eastern Mediterranean Region, where some countries have large farms of pigs- some of them are located inside habilitated areas, Dr Hussein Gezairy, the WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, announced that it is up to each government to decide what she can do and what options she can take in dealing with the pig farms either to compensate the owners of the pig farms or to move the farms to non habilitated areas, pointing out that from at least hygienic point of view it is much better to move pig farms away, although at this stage, the virus transmitts from human to human, the relation is not strong between dealing with pigs and catching the virus.

Addressing a huge number of media in a press conference held this week, Dr Gezairy declared the Eastern Mediterranean Region as, to date, clean of swine flu cases. However he announced that no country can be declared safe from swine flu, stressing the importance of taking high level preparedness measures and scaling up the alert and response and precautionary measures.