Mexico City/Geneva - The number of confirmed swine flu infections in Mexico rose from 26 to 49, with seven deaths as a result of the new strain, according to laboratory results made public Wednesday by health authorities.

There have been 159 deaths and 2,498 infections in Mexico's flu outbreak. Of these, 1,311 people remain in hospital and most have not yet been identified as swine flu cases.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Margaret Chan raised the pandemic alert for swine flu by one level to phase 5 Wednesday night in Geneva.

Geneva  - World Health Organization Direc

Cairo - Egypt began slaughtering thousands of pigs on Wednesday in a precaution against swine flu, although no cases have yet been reported in the country.

"It has been decided to slaughter all pigs in the country immediately," Minister of Health Hatem al-Gabali said Wednesday afternoon.

On Tuesday, the Egyptian parliament voted to slaughter the country's entire pig livestock of around 250,000 animals in a precautionary measure.

New York - New York state officials Wednesday downplayed the fact that New York has the highest total of confirmed cases of swine flu among ten US states, saying the situation was inexplicable - even as health workers were investigating 75 more probable cases and some schools remained closed.

New York Governor David Paterson and his health commissioner, Richard Daines, who said the state currently has no vaccine designed for swine flu, said they did not consider the swine flu outbreak any more important than unseasonal flu in springtime.

Tel Aviv - The number of suspected swine flu cases in Israel has risen to six, two of which have been confirmed with certainty, Israeli media reported Wednesday.

The number rose after an Israeli woman in her mid-50s returned from a trip to Mexico with symptoms. She has been hospitalized at Israel's Meir hospital in Kfar Saba, north-east of Tel Aviv.

She has been placed in quarantine and her condition was being described as "good."

Washington - A US Marine is suspected of having contracted swine flu and has been quarantined at his base in California, the service said Wednesday.

The soldier and his roommate have been confined to their quarters for further evaluation, Marine Commandant General James Conway told reporters at the Pentagon. The roommate is not showing any symptoms, the general said.

The soldier sought medical attention on Saturday suffering from flu symptoms, Conway said.

"He was tested. The initial tests are that he is suspected to have the flu," Conway said.