Neighbours Mexico and the US have seen the highest number of cases

Some 226 swine flu cases have been confirmed in 30 states and more cases are expected, US health officials say.

They said most cases were mild and the spread was no worse than a seasonal flu outbreak. The World Health Organization has said the danger is not over yet.

Mexico, where the outbreak originated, says cases of new infections are declining and authorities will decide on whether to allow schools to reopen.

China has quarantined more than 70 Mexicans prompting a row with Mexico.

Without mentioning China by name, President Felipe Calderon said countries were "taking discriminatory measures because of ignorance".

China's foreign ministry said the move was "a purely medical quarantine issue" and not an act of discrimination.

Just over 100 people in Mexico are thought to have died from the swine flu strain, although only 25 cases have been confirmed.

The WHO said on Monday, 985 cases of the virus had been officially reported across 20 countries.

Person-to-person transmission has been confirmed in six countries.

Also:

• Turkish media reports of a patient dying from swine flu in the southern Antalya province are denied by a hospital spokeswoman to Reuters news agency

• Two new cases are confirmed in France bringing the total to four, the AFP news agency reports

'Not over yet'

In the US, the number of confirmed cases rose from 160 to 226. Officials said this was because the results of lab tests were now coming through, rather than because of a new surge in cases.

CONFIRMED CASES Mexico: 101 suspected deaths - 25 confirmed US: One death, 226 confirmed cases New Zealand: 6 confirmed cases Canada: 101 confirmed cases Spain: 44 confirmed cases UK: 18 confirmed cases Germany: 8 confirmed cases Israel: 3 confirmed cases France: 4 confirmed cases Italy: 2 confirmed cases El Salvador: 2 confirmed cases Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, South Korea, Irish Republic, Costa Rica, Colombia: 1 confirmed case

But an expert from America's Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the virus was fairly widespread.

"Virtually all of the United States probably has this virus circulating now," Dr Anne Schuchat said.

"That doesn't mean that everybody's infected, but within the communities, the virus has arrived."

She said the good news is that most cases are mild, although a small child who was visiting from Mexico has died.

Dr Schuchat said that although she expected cases to become more severe and to lead to deaths, this in itself would not be unusual as every year 36,000 people die in the US after contracting seasonal flu. But she warned: "I don't think we're out of the woods yet."

The WHO has said authorities must not lower their guard in the response over the swine flu outbreak.

The current "round of activity" might have peaked, WHO official Gregory Hartl said, but that did not mean it was over.

Source: New Age