US confirms its first swine flu death

The United States has confirmed the first death from swine flu outside Mexico - a 23-month-old baby in Texas.

To date all cases outside Mexico had been regarded as being mild.

Meanwhile Germany today confirmed its first three cases of swine flu, marking the arrival of the virus in the heart of continental Europe. Other European cases had already been confirmed in France and Spain.

German officials said it had identified the diease in Mallersdorf, Bavaria, and further north in Kulmbach. Doctors in Regensburg also confirmed the infections.

Medical authorities are known to be investigating five other suspected incidences of swine flu in Germany. These include a further Bavarian case and another three in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

The fifth suspected case involves a married couple from the northern city of Braunschweig who had recently returned from New York. The wife has already tested negative for the virus.

The EU said that it is currently investigating a total of 104 cases.