November 16, 2009 - Chinese health officials reported on Friday the first deaths in people who received the H1N1 vaccine. The Ministry of Health announced that the two people, including one teacher from Hunan province, died hours after receiving their inoculations. Since September, when the Ministry began its H1N1 immunization program, 12 million Chinese have received the pandemic flu shot.

A preliminary autopsy revealed that the teacher died of an apparent heart attack while playing basketball, and a Ministry spokesperson told the China Daily newspaper that the death was "a coincidental medical incident" and not related to the vaccine. No details on the second victim have been released so far.

In a press briefing on Friday 1 May in Stockholm, scientists at the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) estimated that 80% of the European population could be affected by the Influenza A/H1N1 virus (new "politically correct" name for the swine flu) but that in most cases, it would be only a "mild form of flu".

Only the eldery and patients with chronic diseases, who have a weaker immune system, would be at risk of developing a more serious illness, and so the Health Authorities had to focus on protecting these vulnerable people.

A mild form of flu? Does it mean just another type of seasonal flu among others? And in this case have WHO, the media and politics been over reacting and exaggerating the thread?

At the same time, Mexican authorities report that the situation is improving and have reduced the number of confirmed cases.

On Monday, the World Health Organisation (WHO) raised the level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 3 to phase 4 (on a scale of 6), indicating that efforts to contain the spread of the virus had failed.

Keiji Fukuda, Head of the WHO Global Influenza Programme, said that outbreaks in Mexico, the U.S. and Spain demonstrate that the H1N1 virus expansion can't be hindered but does not require to close the fronters or to restrict travels, but "it is considered prudent for people who are ill to delay international travel and for people developing symptoms following international travel to seek medical attention".

Epidemiological data demonstrate human-to-human transmission and the ability of the virus to cause community-level outbreaks.

Although not yet a pandemic, the situation has to be considered very seriously worlwide.

For the first time in more than 20 years, the federal government has cancelled classes at all levels (from kindergarten up to university). The Minister of Health is investigating 943 cases and estimates that the virus has already killed 16 people so far in April.

"We are faced with a new influenza virus, whose symptoms are: fever over 39 degrees, cough, severe headache, muscle aches and joints, irritation of the eyes and nasal discharge" said Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova, on Thursday night.

While the authorities recognized investigating 16 "suspicious" deaths, the World Health Organization says that there are about 800 suspected cases of swine flu, with 57 deaths in the region of Mexico and similar reported cases in the San Luis Potosi region in the center of the country.