Mexico:  No New Swine Flu Deaths

Mexican health officials said there have been no new deaths connected to the H1N1 swine flu virus and expressed hope Saturday that the spread of the virus is slowing down. Health Secretary Jose Angel Cordova announced Saturday that the confirmed death toll remains at 16 and fewer than half of the suspected cases (443 out of 1,105) in Mexico have tested positive for swine flu. However, he said it is too early to know if Mexico has overcome the worst of the outbreak.

In the United States, where the swine flu has killed one person, President Barack Obama said his administration is taking aggressive steps to deal with the outbreak and the possibility it may get worse.

In his weekly address Saturday, Mr. Obama said he has asked Congress for $1.5 billion to develop a vaccine and buy treatments.

The World Health Organization reported 615 confirmed cases of the H1N1 flu in 15 countries.

Most recently it has spread to South Korea, France, Denmark and Hong Kong.

The WHO said the virus also has been confirmed in Austria, Britain, Canada, Germany, Israel, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland.  

The organization said it is not advising any restrictions on travel or border closures. Nevertheless, several airlines have reduced flights to Mexico because of fears over the new flu.

Mexican health officials said the latest tests indicate the virus may not be as contagious as they had feared. U.S. officials said scientists have learned the H1N1 virus is not as strong as the 1918 strain, which killed tens of millions of people worldwide.