ALL ABOUT SWINEFLU.. history

Current H1N1 influenza (formerly called swine influenza) outbreak::

Human cases of influenza A (H1N1) have been reported worldwide. In 2009, cases of influenzalike illness were first reported in Mexico on March 18; the outbreak was subsequently confirmed as H1N1 influenza A.7 Investigation is continuing to clarify the spread and severity of H1N1 influenza (swine flu) in Mexico. Suspected clinical cases had been reported in 19 of the country's 32 states. Although only 97 of the Mexican cases had been laboratory-confirmed as Influenza A/H1N18 (12 of them genetically identical to Influenza A/H1N1 viruses from California7 ). As of May 5th, 2009, nearly 600 H1N1 influenza cases had been confirmed in Mexico, including 25 deaths.9
On April 17, 2009, the CDC determined that two cases of febrile respiratory illness in children who resided in adjacent counties in southern California were caused by infection with a swine influenza A (H1N1) virus.10 By April 26, 2009, the US Department of Health and Human Services declared a national public health emergency involving H1N1 influenza A, citing its significant potential to affect national security.11 By June 25, 2009, 27,717 lab-defined cases of H1N1 influenza had been confirmed in the United States.8,12,13,14 As of June 25, 2009, over 3,000 hospitalizations and 127 deaths had been attributed to H1N1 flu in the United States.12
For an updated tally and case counts in specific states, see the CDC's H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) Web page.
As of late June 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that H1N1 influenza had been confirmed in almost 60,000 people in more than 100 countries and that they are aware of 263 deaths confirmed to have been caused by the disease. On June 11, 2009, WHO raised the pandemic alert level to phase 6 (indicating a global pandemic) because of widespread infection beyond North America to Australia, the United Kingdom, Argentina, Chile, Spain, and Japan.8 For an updated tally of affected countries and counts, see WHO's Influenza A (H1N1) Web page.