Moldova's army is feeding its soldiers onions and garlic to help them ward off swine flu.

More than half of Britons being offered vaccination against pandemic H1N1 flu are turning it down because they fear side-effects or think the virus is too mild to bother

Criminal gangs are making millions of dollars out of the H1N1 flu pandemic by selling fake flu drugs over the internet, a web security firm said.

An Italian inventor has combined faith and ingenuity to come up with an electronic holy water dispenser.

US health officials say that 4000 or more Americans are likely to have died from swine flu - about four times the estimate they've been using.

Standing in the middle of a long queue at Jeddah airport, Mahdi Sharif is one of millions of Muslims waiting to enter Saudi Arabia to start the annual haj pilgrimage despite a global outbreak of the H1N1 flu virus.

Reuters

A cat in the United States has tested positive for H1N1 swine flu, the first time a cat has been diagnosed with the new pandemic strain.

Urging citizens not to panic, Ukraine has closed the nation's schools for a week to avoid the spread of swine flu and suggested nightclubs, cinemas and food markets also shut.

Reuters

US President Barack Obama has declared 2009 H1N1 swine flu a national emergency, the White House said at the weekend.

The number of swine flu cases has doubled in England in the last week and the number of people to have died after contracting the virus has also increased.

Results of tens of thousands of flu tests indicate that the swine flu is spreading from school-aged children to the rest of the US population, makers of the tests say.

By REBECCA TODD - The Press

The Health and Disability Commission is looking into the case of a Christchurch man who died during "swine flu hysteria".

NZPA

The total number of deaths in New Zealand attributed to swine flu is now 19.

By RUTH HILL - The Dominion Post

One-in-four intensive care beds in some hospitals were taken up by swine flu victims at the peak of the pandemic, new research shows.

A strong second wave of swine flu is hitting many Northern Hemisphere countries, according to the World Health Organisation.

NZPA

The number of swine flu deaths in New Zealand reached 18 this week after a 67-year-old Auckland woman died from the virus, although some deaths were still being investigated by the coroner.

New Zealand diplomats are providing help for a 23-year-old New Zealand woman reported in a serious condition in a Greek hospital, after being diagnosed with swine flu.

A rise in the number of English cases of swine flu could indicate the start of a second wave of infections, with two cases showing resistance to the antiviral drug Tamiflu.

Britain is "tantalisingly close" to fending off the H1N1 influenza pandemic, medical officials say, as figures show infections continue on a downward trend.

The Dominion Post

A New Zealander who died in Canada last week was believed to have picked up the swine flu virus while in transit in Los Angeles, a family spokeswoman said.