# 3590
While I don’t put a lot of stock in the accuracy of reported flu deaths, regardless of the country of origin, I do believe they may provide some indication of how the flu is trending in a particular region.
Argentina last reported on their flu death toll a couple of weeks ago, and since then all we’ve had to go on have been scattered press reports indicating more deaths were occurring.
Today we get an update, indicating that the number of deaths has doubled – to 337 – in the past 2 weeks. It should be noted that –according to this article - they are `investigating’ another 400 deaths.
One statement that I find a bit curious is:
More than 700,000 of the 763,000 flu cases detected in the country were of the A(H1N1) swine flu type.
I’m not exactly sure how they arrived at these numbers. My guess is, that among whatever number of flu samples they have tested, 91.7% were positive for the novel virus.
Someone has then extrapolated these numbers based on that finding.
It tells us, again, an important trend – that the novel virus has nearly supplanted the existing seasonal strains - but the actual numbers are less informative.
763,000 flu cases is likely just a fraction of the total number of flu cases in a country of roughly 40 million people.
In any event, for whatever it's worth, here is the latest report from the Bangkok Post.
Argentina flu deaths double to 337
Writer: AFP
Published: 5/08/2009 at 10:36 PM
Swine flu deaths in Argentina have more than doubled in the past two weeks and now total 337, officials said Wednesday.
The figure, up from the previous count of 165, confirmed Argentina as the country with the second-highest swine flu fatality count in the world after the United States, which has 353 dead.
Argentina's deputy health minister Maximo Diosque said swine flu had almost totally replaced the normal seasonal flu in the country, which was in the southern hemisphere's winter.
More than 700,000 of the 763,000 flu cases detected in the country were of the A(H1N1) swine flu type, he said.
"We have confirmed 337 deaths by A(H1N1) flu,'' he said.
"We have a similar number, of around 400 cases, that are in the process of being confirmed.''
(Continue . . .)
