The A-H1N1 virus, commonly known as swine flu, is spreading much quicker than expected and is attacking a large number of young , healthy adults, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) said here Saturday.
Margaret Chan said in an interview with French daily "Le Monde" that the virus "in six weeks travels the same distance as that covered in six months by other viruses." She also said that while six out of ten fatalities have pre-existing health conditions, 40 percent are nonetheless young healthy adults.
"Sixty percent of the deaths involve those who have underlying health problems," Chan pointed out, but "this means that 40 percent of the fatalities concern young adults, in good health, who die of a viral fever in five to seven days." Chan also noted that the greatest risks threaten densely populated areas where 30 percent of people could get infected with swine flu.
She also warned that the production of vaccinations might not happen in time to inoculate populations against the virus, which has killed close to 2, 200 people since the first outbreak in Mexico last April.

Kuna