The Health Ministry on Friday reported another 118 people found with the influenza A (H1N1) virus, increasing the country’s tally to 4,383 since the flu broke out in May.

Two patients with critical pneumonia and clinical symptoms of the H5N1 avian influenza at the Hanoi-based National Institute of Infectious and Tropical Diseases have tested positive only for swine flu, said Nguyen Van Kinh, the institute’s director general.

So far the influenza A (H1N1) virus has yet to show any signs of developing into a new strain, Kinh added.

Also on Friday, the World Health Organization reported that at least 3,205 people have died from swine flu since it was detected in April, AFP quoted the UN agency as saying.

Most of the deaths occurred in the Americas region, which has had 2,467 fatalities.

The Asia-Pacific region has recorded 527 deaths, followed by Europe where at least 125 people have died of the flu.

The death toll in the Middle East has reached 51 while Africa has reported 35, according to the WHO.

The latest death toll represents a jump of more than a 1,000 over a fortnight ago when the WHO put it at 2,185.

Source: Thanh Nien, VNA, AFP