MEXICO CITY - THE number of fatal cases of A(H1N1) flu in Mexico has risen from 119 to 121, but Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova said on Wednesday that spread of the virus is under control.

The latest cases of the A(H1N1) virus appeared in the Yucatan and Chiapas regions of Mexico, but Minister Jose Angel Cordova said the 'situation is under control.'

Mexico, where the pandemic first emerged in April, was initially worst affected by the virus, but the United States has overtaken it in terms of both cases of infection and confirmed deaths.

The most recent figures issued by the World Health Organisation said there were nearly 34,000 cases of A(H1N1) infection in the United States and 170 deaths.

Worldwide, nearly 100,000 people have contracted the virus in 137 countries and territories, according to figures from the WHO, which has also recorded 440 deaths globally from the pandemic. -- AFP