H1N1 vaccination rates for pregnant women in the U.S. were higher than seasonal flu vaccination rates for pregnant women. (CBC)

The H1N1 virus is spreading in parts of Europe, North Africa and South Asia, the World Health Organization said Friday.

Since swine flu first emerged in Mexico in March 2009, there have been nearly 14,000 deaths among confirmed cases, up from the 12,799 the UN health agency reported last week.

"Pandemic H1N1 2009 virus continues to be the predominant circulating influenza virus in the European region with only sporadic detections of seasonal influenza viruses," WHO said in its latest pandemic update.

The same is true for north Africa and parts of Asia, including China, where flu activity has been declining since November.

Likewise in North America, infection rates have declined since October. But there may be increased flu activity in central and northern Mexico, WHO noted.

U.S. vaccinations

In the spring, WHO was criticized for not declaring H1N1 a pandemic, or geographically widespread epidemic, sooner. In the last few weeks, some European parliamentarians have complained about WHO's handling of the pandemic, which the agency has said could be mild or severe in nature.

Elsewhere on Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that since the spring:

• Up to 80 million Americans have been infected with H1N1.
• 362,000 have been hospitalized.
• 16,000 have died.

About 90 per cent of seasonal flu deaths in an average year are among people over 65. With H1N1, 90 per cent of people who died or developed serious flu cases have been much younger, including up to 1,730 children, CDC said.

Seasonal flu kills an estimated 500,000 people worldwide each year, including 36,000 Americans and 4,000 to 8,000 Canadians, public health officials say.

As of Jan. 2, an estimated 20.3 per cent of Americans, 61 million people, had been vaccinated. The vaccination rate among Americans aged six months to 18 years was 29.4 per cent, about the same as for seasonal flu.

Vaccination rates were higher than normal among pregnant women in the U.S.: 38 per cent versus 15 to 25 per cent in previous years.

On Thursday, the Public Health Agency of Canada said there have been 418 deaths among confirmed cases of H1N1 since the spring.

Earlier this month, the agency estimated between 40 and 45 per cent of Canadians have been vaccinated against H1N1.

Between Jan. 7 and Jan. 14, three new deaths were reported to the agency, one each in British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba. For the week ending Jan. 2, flu activity in Canada remained low, with most regions reporting either sporadic or no activity, according to the federal agency.