The World Health Organisation said today it is “getting closer” to declaring a global outbreak of the swine flu virus.

THE number of worldwide swine flu cases passed 5,000, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), as the virus spread to three more countries in Europe, Asia and Latin America.

The World Health Organisation began to ship 2.4 million treatments of anti-flu drugs to 72 needy countries today, and its flu chief said the swine flu epidemic was still spreading.

MEXICO was approved for $3 billion (€2.26bn) in international loans to fight the swine flu crisis, as the country began a five-day shutdown yesterday to try to halt the spread of the virus.

THE World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed swine flu cases rose to 257 worldwide yesterday and announced it would stop using the term “swine flu” to avoid confusion over the danger posed by pigs.

Two more countries confirmed swine flu cases today as fear and uncertainty about the disease circled the globe.

The swine flu epidemic crossed new borders today with the first cases confirmed in the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific region.

World health officials today raced to extinguish a new flu strain that has already spread to five countries and is jumping borders.

The World Health Organisation is working closely with Mexican officials to make sure drugs are available to fight the outbreak of swine flu, but warns other countries may need more as well if the disease spreads, a senior official said today.

Canada became the third country to confirm human cases of swine flu as global health officials considered whether to raise the global pandemic alert level.