New York - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday urged the UN Security Council to join the international community in efforts to deal with the swine flu, which has spread to four continents.

Ban said the UN has taken the lead and gathered resources to fight the flu, working with the World Health Organization and governments. At UN headquarters, Ban's deputy secretary-general Asha-Rose Migiro is chairing a core group of UN officials to coordinate activities with WHO in Geneva.

Mexico City  - The number of confirmed swine flu infections in Mexico rose from 26 to 49, although the number of deaths was still at seven from the new strain of flu, according to laboratory results that Mexico's health authorities made public Wednesday.

In total, there have been 159 deaths and 2,498 infections in Mexico's flu epidemic. Of these, 1,311 remained in hospital. But most have not yet been identified as swine flu.

Abohar, April 29: With health awareness being minimal in rural Punjab, ASHA, a scheme launched by the Government of India under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), is benefiting villagers.

ASHA or, Accredited Social Health Activist, is bringing about a transformation, as the scheme spreads awareness about mother-child health.

One such ASHA is Roshni, who has undertaken a special task today. She is visiting a newly married couple in Sitto Village in Punjab’s Ferozepur district to counsel them on childbirth or preparations for childbirth, safe delivery and immunization.

Stockholm - Thirteen people in four European countries were Wednesday confirmed to have been infected with swine flu while 128 cases were confirmed worldwide, a European health agency reported.

The confirmed European cases were in Britain, Germany, Spain and Austria, Denis Coulombier of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said.

"All were exposed outside the EU in Mexico," Coloumbier, head of the ECDC preparedness and response unit, said at a briefing.

Taipei - The World Health Organization (WHO) is allowing Taiwan to attend its annual assembly as an observer, marking progress in Taipei's fight to end its international isolation, a Taiwan official said Wednesday. Health Minister Yeh Chin-chuan told parliament that the WHO has invited Taiwan to attend the World Health Assembly (WHA), which is to open May 18 in Geneva, as an observer.

The invitation was issued by WHO Secretary General Margaret Chan Tuesday, apparently because of improved ties between Taiwan and China.

Phnom Penh - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday called on South-East Asian leaders to hold an emergency meeting to agree on a regional strategy to stem the spread of swine flu. "We need to have an emergency meeting of ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) to address this deadly disease as soon as possible," he told a graduation ceremony at the National Institute of Education in Phnom Penh.

The premier called on ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan to organize the meeting and invite health ministers from all member countries.