At least 13,554 people worldwide have been killed by the A/H1N1 pandemic influenza since the new flu virus emerged in April, 2009, Xinhua quoted the World Health Organization (WHO) as saying in a weekly update on Friday. Of all the deaths, some 7,016 occurred in the Americas, while at least 2,788 were reported from Europe. The other four WHO regions, namely Western Pacific, South-East Asia, East Mediterranean and Africa, reported 1,447, 1,289, 883 and 131 deaths respectively. The WHO"s tally of global pandemic deaths is an under representation of the actual numbers as many deaths are never tested or recognized as influenza related, the UN agency noted. The WHO declared the H1N1 influenza as a pandemic in June, 2009. So far, the flu virus has caused infections in more than 208 countries and overseas territories or communities. According to the latest update, the most intense areas of pandemic influenza virus transmission currently are in parts of North Africa, South Asia, and east and southeastern Europe. In Western Europe, East Asia and the Americas, overall pandemic influenza activity continues to decline.
