The first swine flu death outside Mexico was confirmed today by US health officials as a 23-month old child in Texas.

The global swine flu outbreak has worsened as US authorities said hundreds of students at a New York school have fallen ill and federal officials said they expected to see US deaths from the virus.

US President Barack Obama responded to the first domestic emergency of his presidency by reassuring Americans it was “not a cause for alarm,” even as his government began urgent steps to respond to the small-but-rising number of cases.

FOUR people have undergone specialist medical tests amid fears that the deadly swine flu has reached our shores.