April 29 (Bloomberg) -- Swine flu killed a child in the U.S. and was confirmed in eight countries and 11 U.S. states as health officials in Geneva and Washington said spread of the virus is unlikely to stop.

U.S. cases jumped to 91, from 64 yesterday, and included a 22-month-old Mexican child who died in a Houston hospital. Hundreds of students in New York are suspected of infection, showing the disease taking root outside Mexico. President Barack Obama asked Congress for $1.5 billion to brace for an outbreak and warned parents to prepare for school closings.

Mexico, where the toll is highest, said 159 people may have died. Egypt ordered the immediate slaughter of all pigs, according to Middle East News Agency. French Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot will ask European transport ministers to suspend flights to Mexico, she told reporters in Paris today. Development of a vaccine is being speeded, U.S. officials said.

“This is obviously a serious situation -- serious enough to take the utmost precautions,” Obama said today at the White House. “We are closely and continuously monitoring the emerging cases of this throughout the United States.”

Obama said local officials should consider closing schools where flu cases are suspected and parents should plan for contingencies. Texas Governor Rick Perry declared a disaster, a “preemptive” measure to facilitate emergency preparations and seek federal reimbursement. The Texas University Interscholastic League suspended until May 11 all Texas athletic, academic and music competitions.

Pigs are Safe

While the virus originated in pigs, the infections in people aren’t related to exposure to the animals, said Keiji Fukuda, World Health Organization’s assistant director-general for health security and environment. The disease, spreading like the seasonal flu, is ‘unlikely’ to stop, Fukuda said.

“It’s clear that deaths and serious illnesses can occur in other countries, but more are occurring in Mexico,” Fukuda said. “We don’t know the reason for that right now.” The genetic strains around the world that have been tested are “remarkably consistent and remarkably similar to each other,” he said.

WHO, a United Nations agency, is “moving closer” to increasing its six-level pandemic alert to stage five, Fukuda said.

Death in U.S.

The first death in U.S. was a 22-month-old boy from Mexico City who was brought to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston last weekend, the state health department said today in a statement. The boy had “several underlying health problems,” the statement said.

The New York cases originated from students at St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens. A group from the Roman Catholic school returned recently from a trip to Cancun, health officials said. New York accounts for 51 of the 91 confirmed cases in six states, U.S. and state government officials said.

At P.S. 177, a public school for autistic children, 82 students have called in sick, and six students are being tested at Ascension school in Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters yesterday. Most family and staff suspected of having the flu haven’t been tested, the mayor said.

The U.S. can expect hospitalizations and more deaths, Kathleen Sebelius said today in her first press conference after being confirmed secretary of Health and Human Services. Hand- washing and hygiene are among the most effective ways to control the outbreak, she said.

Businesses and schools should plan for a pandemic, Richard Besser, acting head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said.

Seasonal Flu

Every year in the U.S., 5 percent to 20 percent of the population gets seasonal flu. The virus affects the nose, throat and lungs, and peaks from late-November through March, according to the CDC. About 200,000 Americans are hospitalized annually from the seasonal flu, and 36,000 die, said the CDC Web site. A widespread outbreak of a new strain could increase deaths and sicken millions worldwide, world health officials said.

WHO, based in Geneva, said it’s watching New York to see whether the virus has taken hold outside Mexico, a finding that would boost the level of the pandemic alert system. The number of cases verified by lab tests worldwide rose to 112 today from 105 yesterday, said Dick Thompson, a WHO spokesman.

Two other people, a woman in Brooklyn and a boy in the Bronx, were hospitalized with suspected cases associated with travel to Mexico, Bloomberg said.

Pandemic Alert

WHO raised its global pandemic alert this week, saying the disease is no longer containable and health authorities need to prepare for outbreaks. It’s the first time the warning has been raised to a 4 since the six-step system was adopted in 2005. It had been at 3 since 2007, when it was elevated for an outbreak of avian flu.

A stage 5 warning is “a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent” with little time left for preparation, according to the WHO Web site. A pandemic, rated 6 on WHO’s alert system, is an unexpected outbreak of a new contagious disease that spreads from person to person across borders. In such cases, almost no one has natural immunity.

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Obama requested more money yesterday to help build stockpiles of anti- viral drugs, work on vaccines and coordinate the U.S. response with other governments.

The money is meant “to ensure we have the resources available” at federal, state and local levels to deal with any wider spread of the virus, Gibbs said.

Speed, Ferocity

The biggest concern is whether the virus is establishing itself outside Mexico, said WHO’s Fukuda, on a conference call yesterday with reporters.

WHO is tracking the speed and ferocity of the New York- based transmissions with U.S. and state health officials to determine how the flu may spread in the future, Fukuda said.

“There is definitely the possibility that this virus can establish that kind of community-wide outbreak capacity in multiple countries,” Fukuda said. “It’s a very serious possibility, but it’s still too early to say that it’s inevitable.”

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency to help the most populous U.S. state with 37 million people prepare for an outbreak. Schwarzenegger ordered state agencies to use whatever government personnel, equipment and facilities needed to help the health department. He also authorized the agency, along with the state’s Emergency Medical Services Authority, to enter contracts with private companies without competitive bids.

Mexico Restaurants

The outbreak in Mexico City prompted the local government yesterday to order all 35,000 restaurants shut.

U.S. officials recommended that nonessential travel to Mexico be avoided and the European Union told travelers to avoid outbreak areas. Malaysia today asked the WHO to ban outbound travel from Mexico by people who are ill.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid urged calm. He said a vaccine will likely be developed by the time next flu season starts in North America.

An experimental vaccine for swine flu may be tested in people within a couple of months, according to Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Reference strains for the virus have been distributed and a pre-planned development process is under way, Fauci said at a press conference today in Washington.

Swine vs. Seasonal

Production of influenza vaccine for seasonal outbreaks, which U.S. health officials have said is ineffective against the new flu, should continue, Fukuda said.

Sanofi-Aventis SA won’t be able to make shots against seasonal influenza if it’s asked to develop a swine flu vaccine, Chief Executive Officer Chris Viehbacher said today.

Swine flu, if it turns out to be less severe than its seasonal cousin, could deprive millions of a vaccine because Sanofi, the world’s biggest vaccine maker, and its competitors may lack capacity, Viehbacher said.

Japan suspended visa-free entry for Mexican nationals, countries including Australia, Singapore and South Korea are screening air passengers, and Taiwan advised against visiting Mexico.

Australia is testing 90 people for swine flu, and authorities are searching for 15 people who were on a plane from Mexico two days ago, Health Minister Nicola Roxon said.

Imports Suspended

South Korea will suspend imports of live hogs from North America starting today, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said. Indonesia said April 27 it will destroy all imported pork and swine products and fumigate agricultural goods bought from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico as a precaution.

China, the world’s top pork consumer, banned imports of swine products from Mexico and parts of the U.S.

WHO isn’t recommending travel restrictions and has said people can’t get swine flu from eating properly handled pork.

Scientists are trying to determine why swine flu, a respiratory disease of pigs caused by a type-A influenza virus, has been more severe in Mexico. The disease results in symptoms similar to those of seasonal influenza, such as fever, lethargy and coughing, and may also cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, according to the CDC.

The World Bank, in a worst-case scenario published in October, said a flu pandemic that’s similar in scope to the 1918 outbreak known as the Spanish flu could kill 71 million people worldwide and push the economy into a “major global recession” costing more than $3 trillion.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration signed emergency authorizations April 27 that will permit the CDC to use an unapproved lab test for swine flu and more dosing options than currently recommended for influenza treatments Tamiflu, sold by Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG, and Relenza, from London-based GlaxoSmithKline Plc.

The New York City mayor is founder and majority owner of Bloomberg News parent Bloomberg LP.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tom Randall in New York at trandall6@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: April 29, 2009 13:14 EDT