Massachusetts reports 1153 confirmed cases of A/H1N1 flu

The department said in a news release that only 80 patients have been hospitalized due to symptoms, but there have been no deaths in the state. On Friday, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on its website that the state of Massachusetts had 787 confirmed cases of A/H1N1 flu. Many schools, particularly in Eastern Massachusetts, continue to feel the brunt of the A/H1N1 outbreak, the department admitted, saying that eight schools in Boston and one in Randolph have been closed for days because of the A/H1N1 flu. Commenting on the raising of the global pandemic alert level to Phase 6 by the World Health Organization (WHO), the department said the WHO's declaration was expected, given the A/H1N1 flu has spread rapidly throughout the world including here in Massachusetts. "It does not change how we are currently dealing with the outbreak here in Massachusetts. We have taken this outbreak very seriously from the beginning and have been on a heightened state of alert since the first case was identified in the United States," the department asserted, saying the state will continue to work with partners at the local, state and federal levels on the A/H1N1 response in Massachusetts, Kazinform refers to Xinhua. See www.chinaview.cn for full version.