China has more H1N1 flu cases, Japan schools re-open
(adds China cases, details)
TOKYO, May 25 (Reuters) - Schools in western Japan were re-opening their doors on Monday as the number of new H1N1 flu infections levelled off but China, Australia and South Korea announced a rise in their numbers of confirmed cases.
The H1N1 swine flu has infected more than 12,000 people in 43 countries and killed 86 according to the World Health Organization, which is poised to declare a full pandemic of the virus.
WHO chief Dr. Margaret Chan said on Friday the world had to be ready for H1N1 flu to become more severe and kill more people. [ID:nN22387871]
Japan's Health Ministry had confirmed 343 cases of the new flu as of late on Sunday. About 4,500 schools closed last week as the virus spread, mostly among teenagers in the western prefectures of Osaka and Hyogo. [ID:nT370354]
Japan is the worst-affected country in Asia in terms of the spread of the new H1N1 swine flu virus.
But the government had relaxed some of its regulations on dealing with the new strain of flu last week, concerned that they would harm the already ailing economy.
Chinese health authorities confirmed two cases of H1N1 swine flu infection on Sunday and two on Monday, bringing the total confirmed infections on the mainland to 11.
Each of the new cases was in a separate part of the country, with no suggestion yet that the flu outbreak has taken a life of its own in the nation of 1.3 billion.
South Korea said on Monday its number of confirmed flu cases rose sharply over the weekend to 22, when a 23-year-old woman, a U.S. citizen, who flew from San Francisco to teach English, was confirmed with the virus. Fourteen others who were in contact with her were also confirmed with the virus.
Australia also announced a jump in numbers to 17, after a woman from Brisbane tested positive after having returned from the United States.
Health workers in the Australian capital Canberra urged children returning from visits to virus-affected countries to stay home for at least a week to help contain H1N1's spread. (Reporting by Isabel Reynolds in TOKYO, Chris Buckley in BEIJING, Miyoung Kim in SEOUL, Rob Taylor in CANBERRA; Editing by Valerie Lee)
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