H1N1 Cases Top 21,000 In U.S.; 87 Deaths

The national count of swine flu cases has risen to 21,449 cases and the number of deaths have nearly doubled to 87.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the number of confirmed and probable cases Friday morning. The tally is up from the last week's count of 18,000 cases and 44 deaths.

Wisconsin, Illinois and Texas have had the most reported illnesses, and the Illinois count rose more than 500 since the last report. But CDC officials say much of the most recent flu activity has been in the Northeast. A quarter of the new deaths were in New York.

Around the world, an Australian man with multiple serious ailments, including swine flu, died Friday, but authorities say they can't be sure whether it was the virus that killed him.

The 26-year-old Aboriginal man could be the first person in the Asia-Pacific to die from swine flu, which has swept rapidly through the region but without the fatal impact it has had in the hardest hit countries such as Mexico and the United States where dozens have died.

Bangladesh, Laos and Papua New Guinea all reported their first cases, while infections continued to rise sharply in Thailand. Authorities in New Zealand said widespread transmission of the virus meant it likely had more than 1,000 cases.

The World Health Organization declared swine flu a pandemic last week. As of Wednesday, it said that more than 39,000 cases had been reported worldwide, with 167 deaths.

The Australian fatality was from the impoverished Aborgine minority in a remote desert community. He died in a hospital in the southern city of Adelaide.

The man had been in hospital with multiple serious ailments and was diagnosed with swine flu on Thursday, South Australia state Health Minister John Hill said. It is not yet known what the patient died of or where he became infected.

"How the swine flu interacted with those conditions and what's the ultimate cause of death is something we can't really speculate about," Hill said.

Australia has recorded the highest tally of swine flu cases in the Asia-Pacific, reaching 2,330 by Friday, up 131 from Thursday. Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon said swine flu remained mild in Australia and most people infected made rapid and full recoveries.

New Zealand reported 63 new cases of swine flu - taking the national total to 216, but deputy public health director Darren Hunt said the country likely had at least 1,000 cases.

He said despite widespread transmission in the community, virtually all the New Zealand cases were mild, with only one patient so far becoming critically ill. More serious cases were expected once the virus spreads, he said.

Health Minister Tony Ryall said officials were moving to "manage" the spread of the virus after attempting to contain it for two months.

Bangladesh confirmed its first case: a 19-year-old man who had recently returned from the U.S, the Health Ministry said in a statement. It said he was being treated and his family members were also under observation.

A 27-year-old Australian visitor has been confirmed as the first case of the virus in Laos, the official Khaosan Pathet Lao agency reported Friday. The unidentified Australian has been quarantined but does not need hospitalization, the report said.

Thailand's Public Health Ministry, meanwhile, confirmed 71 new cases, bringing the country's total to 589, most of them in Bangkok.

Elsewhere in the region, Papua New Guinea became the second South Pacific islands nation to report a single confirmed case of the infection, after Samoa confirmed its first case Tuesday. Singapore reported 11 new cases, bringing its total to 77. Officials said all but two of the infections were contracted abroad.

In Beijing, an American high school student from Massachusetts was admitted to a hospital with swine flu symptoms, while 14 other students and two chaperones were quarantined.

Numerous travelers have been quarantined over swine flu concerns in China, including other school groups from California and Maryland.

Hong Kong reported 16 more cases, including seven that were domestically transmitted. The new infections bring the city's total to 237.

Malaysia confirmed four new cases of the virus late Thursday, raising its tally to 27.