The H1N1 flu has now spread to some 160 countries, killing about 800 people, but its behaviour so far has not changed, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said today.
"For the moment we haven't seen any changes in the behaviour of the virus. What we are seeing still is a geographic expansion across countries," WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told a news briefing.
Mr Hartl said the first vaccine doses for the disease, commonly known as swine flu, should be ready in the northern hemisphere's early autumn.
The WHO so far has promises of 150 million doses from two manufacturers for developing countries and is negotiating with other producers for further doses, which will be earmarked for the least developed countries, he said.
In the United Kingdom, doctors warned the swine flu pandemic could overwhelm intensive care beds in England, especially in children’s units.
Demand for intensive care beds could outstrip supply by 130 per cent in some regions, while the need for ventilators to help people breathe could exceed supply by 20 per cent.
Paediatric facilities are likely to become “quickly exhausted”, while hospitals could face “massive excess demand”, according to researchers. Hospitals on the South East coast, in the South West, East of England and East Midlands are likely to be worst hit, they said.
The warning comes as a pregnant woman critically ill with swine flu was being treated in a Swedish hospital today after being transferred from Scotland.
The 26-year-old suffered a rare complication and was flown to Stockholm because no beds were available in the United Kingdom for the procedure she needed.
The woman was admitted to Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire, last week where she was put on a ventilator because of an extreme reaction to the swine flu virus.
Reuters/PA
