Canada's swine flu case count rising

Canada's swine flu case count has increased nearly 20 per cent over the past few days, largely due to a rise in cases in Ontario, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

As of Friday, there were 1,336 cases in nine provinces and two territories.

That's an increase of 218 cases since Wednesday, when the agency last reported the number of confirmed infections with the H1N1 virus.

The main increase occurred in Ontario, where the count rose by 131 cases to 626.

Quebec reported the second largest increase, up 46 cases to 253.

The virus is blamed for two deaths in Canada, including a woman in Alberta and a man in Ontario. The woman suffered from chronic pre-existing medical conditions, including asthma. The man had diabetes but his family in Scarborough described him as healthy.

Almost all the other cases reported to date are considered mild.

About 4,000 Canadians on average die from seasonal influenza every year.

The World Health Organization reported on Friday that there had been 15,510 confirmed cases and 99 deaths in 53 countries.