WHO drops swine flu tracking

NEW YORK, July 17 (UPI) -- The World Health Organization says it will no longer track swine flu cases and deaths around the world.

The announcement, made in a "briefing note" posted on its Web site, was a move that caught many public health officials by surprise, The New York Times said.

Earlier, WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl issued an updated report confirming Argentina, with 137 swine flu deaths since June, had moved past Mexico, where it originated in February, as No. 2 in deaths. Mexico has 121. The United States is the topper, with 211 deaths.

The last WHO update, issued July 6, showed 429 deaths among 94,512 confirmed cases in 122 countries.