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WASHINGTON: Latin American nations are better prepared to handle today's H1N1 flu outbreak than five years ago when avian flu struck, the head of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said Friday.
"Every country is better prepared than five years ago when we had our first avian flu alert," said PAHO director Mirta Roses, speaking at a special Organization of American States (OAS) meeting on the swine flu in Washington.
Nations in the region "have updated their plans against the influenza since 2004, with tested plans, drills, and increased training of personnel", Roses said.
The PAHO is in charge of coordinating World Health Organization (WHO) efforts to fight the swine flu outbreak in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Latin America has part of the world's strategic reserve of anti-viral medicines, and officials are working with each country to look at their needs, and with industry to look into the availability of medicine proven to be effective, Roses said.
Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova on Friday said the confirmed toll of swine flu victims stood at 15 dead and 328 people infected – down from figures he gave early in the week when he spoke of 159 "probable" deaths from the flu.
US health officials said the number of confirmed swine flu cases was at 143 spread across 20 states, while 51 were reported affected in Canada.
- AFP/so
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