The disease has caused relatively mild symptoms in most patients outside North America, many of whom have been able to recover fully without antiviral drugs. The recently-discovered strain has killed at least 56 people in Mexico, three people in the United States and one each in Canada and Costa Rica, according to the WHO count. Mexico's health ministry said on Wednesday it had confirmed 60 deaths from the hybrid strain, which scientists say contains a mixture of swine, bird and human flu viruses. In its latest tally, which lags national reports but is considered more reliable, the WHO said the number of infections had also risen in countries including Spain, Britain, Panama, Guatemala and Colombia. "We need to carefully assess the benefits ofone vaccine for seasonal flu, the benefits of the vaccine forthe new H1N1 virus, and balance the different benefits." Mexico has 2,059 infections confirmed in WHO labs, theUnited States 3,009, Canada 358 and Costa Rica 8.

Other countries have the following number of WHO-confirmedflu cases without deaths: Argentina (1), Australia (1), Austria(1), Brazil (8), Britain (68), China (3, comprising 1 in Hongand 2 in mainland China), Colombia (6), Cuba (1), Denmark (1),El Salvador (4), Finland (2), France (13), Germany (12),Guatemala (3), Ireland (1), Israel (7), Italy (9), Japan (4),Netherlands (3), New Zealand (7), Norway (2), Panama (29),Poland (1), Portugal (1), South Korea (3), Spain (98), Sweden(2), Switzerland (1) and Thailand (2). (For a WHO map of the flu spread worldwide see:) (For more Reuters stories on swine flu, click on [nFLU]) (For more Reuters swine flu coverage, please click here: here ) (Additional reporting by Jonathan Lynn and Robert Evans inGeneva and Alistair Bell in Mexico City; editing by AndrewRoche) Stocks Global Markets Cuba China Argentina Brazil France Japan Mexico South Korea. * H1N1 strain infects 5,728 people in 33 countries * Global pandemic alert remains at level 5 out of 6 * Experts weigh merits of pandemic vaccine production push (Adds Mexico ministry toll, WHO on alert level and vaccines) By Laura MacInnis GENEVA, May 13 (Reuters) - H1N1 flu has now reached Cuba, Finland and Thailand, with nearly 6,000 people infected in 33 countries, the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday. "The decision is not yes or no, it is more complicated thanthat," she said. Briand said that because seasonal flu is so dangerous to theelderly and people with chronic health conditions like asthma,it was important to weigh the risks of any production switch. The disease has caused relatively mild symptoms in mostpatients outside North America, many of whom have been able torecover fully without antiviral drugs.

But WHO Director-General Margaret Chan has raised the flualert level to 5 out of 6 to reflect concern about the way inwhich the virus has been spreading, because it could mutate andprove deadly among people with no immunity to it. She is looking for evidence the hybrid strain is spreadingin a sustained way in communities outside the Americas beforeraising that alert to 6 and declaring a pandemic is under way. The WHO will hold a teleconference with vaccine experts onThursday on whether to recommend shifting production to vaccinesto fight the new strain, or to keep focusing on vaccines forseasonal flu, which kills up to 500,000 people a year. According to the latest WHO count, Spain has 98 confirmedcases and Britain has 68. While most of those infections have been deemed "imported", as a result of people travelling to Mexico or being in closecontact with those who had, evidence that the virus is spreadingin a sustained way in Britain or Spain would prompt the WHO todeclare a full pandemic. The recently-discovered strain has killed at least 56 peoplein Mexico, three people in the United States and one each inCanada and Costa Rica, according to the WHO count.

Mexico's health ministry said on Wednesday it had confirmed60 deaths from the hybrid strain, which scientists say containsa mixture of swine, bird and human flu viruses. In its latest tally, which lags national reports but isconsidered more reliable, the WHO said the number of infectionshad also risen in countries including Spain, Britain, Panama,Guatemala and Colombia. * H1N1 strain infects 5,728 people in 33 countries Stocks  |  Global Markets  |  Cuba  |  China  |  Argentina  |  Brazil  |  France  |  Japan  |  Mexico  |  South Korea * Global pandemic alert remains at level 5 out of 6 * Experts weigh merits of pandemic vaccine production push (Adds Mexico ministry toll, WHO on alert level and vaccines) By Laura MacInnis GENEVA, May 13 (Reuters) - H1N1 flu has now reached Cuba,Finland and Thailand, with nearly 6,000 people infected in 33countries, the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday. Amper, Politziner & Mattia, LLPDiane orStar ToplinCarol Copyright Business Wire 2009. Best Company is a global full-service credit ratingorganization dedicated to serving the financial and health care serviceindustries, including insurance companies, banks, hospitals and health caresystem providers.