The majority of Chileans who have died with the A(H1N1) virus lived in cities in the south, the coldest part of the country. -- PHOTO: AP
SANTIAGO - CHILE reported one more swine flu death on Tuesday, raising its total to 14 with 1,100 new infections, as neighbouring Argentina extended school vacations to fight the virus that has killed 26 people there.
The majority of Chileans who have died with the A(H1N1) virus lived in cities in the south, the coldest part of the country currently in winter's grip.
'At this moment the new human influenza A(H1N1) virus is demonstrating a high transmissibility in the population, as expected in winter when conditions are optimal for its circulation,' the health ministry said in a statement.
The ministry put the number of confirmed swine flu cases at 7,342 since the first cases were detected in mid-May, with 3.4 per cent of the cases - about 250 people - requiring hospitalization.
The World Health Organization, which declared a global swine flu pandemic earlier this month, said Monday that the number of recorded A(H1N1) cases had reached 70,893, with 311 deaths, since the virus was first discovered in late March in Mexico and the United States.
Chile's neighbor Argentina has South America's highest death toll, now at 26, with 1,587 confirmed cases, according to the country's health ministry.
On Tuesday, 13 of Argentina's 23 provinces plus the capital Buenos Aires extended the winter school break in an effort to stem the spread of swine flu, while city mayor Mauricio Macri announced that three Buenos Aires government officials have been stricken with the virus.
Three other South American countries - Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay - have reported deaths, as well as a handful of Central American and Caribbean nations. -- AFP
