H1N1 infections now approaching 6000, strain reaches Cuba, Finland, Thailand

SHOOT: When this strain mutates into something more virulent - which could happen at any moment - I think it is going to take the world by storm.

clipped from www.reuters.com GENEVA, May 13 (Reuters) - H1N1 flu has now reached Cuba, Finland, and Thailand, with nearly 6,000 people infected in 33 countries, the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday. In its latest tally, which lags national reports but is considered more reliable, the WHO said the number of infections has also risen in several countries including Spain, Britain, Panama, Guatemala, and Colombia. The recently discovered virus has killed at least 56 people in Mexico, three people in the United States, and one each in Canada and Costa Rica. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan has raised the flu alert level to 5 out of 6 as a result of its spread beyond the disease epicentre Mexico, signalling that a pandemic is imminent. According to the latest WHO count, Spain has 98 confirmed cases and Britain has 68. * H1N1 strain infects 5,728 people in 33 countries