The A/H1N1 flu death toll in the most populous US state of California has reached 32, while confirmed and probable cases rose to 2,469, according to the latest statistics released by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) late on Thursday.

The department said that 11 more deaths have been reported in the past week, a 52 percent jump from the previous record of 21, and 484 new confirmed and probable cases have emerged, representing a 24-percent increase from the previous total of 1,985 released a week ago by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Since the outbreak of the A/H1N1 flu, California has been among the top states leading the nation with most deaths and confirmed cases of the new flu virus. The latest CDPH report shows that San Diego and Orange counties have been the two hardest-hit, each has five deaths as well as hundreds of confirmed cases.

However, the department said the reported number of cases of A/H1N1 flu in California does not reflect how many actual cases there may be in the state because individuals in outpatient settings are no longer being tested for the presence of the virus and many cases go undetected due to the mild nature of disease among most people.

Laboratory testing is limited to individuals with serious A/H1N1 illness, including hospitalized patients, and those at high risk for complications, the department explained.

Dr. Anne Schuchat, a leading CDC expert, said last week that she and other CDC experts believe there might be more than one million Americans who have been infected with the A/H1N1 virus, though many probably had only a mild illness.

Both state and federal health officials urge people to be prepared for the pandemic declared by World Health Organization.

(Xinhua News Agency July 10, 2009)