A 51-year-old man has died of Mexican flu in Italy. He is the first person in the southern European country to die of the disease. He suffered other chronic conditions including heart problems and a serious form of diabetes.

In Sweden there has been a second Mexican flu fatality, a 55-year-old man with cancer.

The World Health Organisation says the death toll for influenza A (H1N1) has risen to over 2800. That is an increase of 30 percent on a week ago. The virus itself has not mutated or become more aggressive.