Cases of the new H1N1 flu virus have now been found in all 50 U.S. states and tests have confirmed the virus in more than 10,000 people across the nation, U.S. officials said on Monday.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said the confirmed tests represent about one in 20 of the actual number of infections, which would bring the total number of U.S. cases to around 200,000.
Seventeen deaths in the United States have been definitively linked to the swine flu virus, the CDC said.
The virus, which spreads easily and causes mostly mild disease, has been diagnosed in 17,564 people in 64 countries, killing 115, according to the World Health Organization.
It was newly found this week in patients in Bulgaria, Vietnam and Jamaica.
Although H1N1 swine flu appears mild, it affects mostly older children and young adults, and experts worry it could change into a more dangerous form.
New York City's medical examiner is reportedly investigating whether swine flu caused the death of a Bronx baby, according to a report Monday.
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