There is no evidence of the swine flu virus spreading in a sustained way outside North America, a top World Health Organization official says, according to BBC.
Dr Michael Ryan, WHO Director of Global Alert and Response, praised European nations' handling of cases and said events did not seem out of control.
Mexico has cut its suspected death toll by 75 to 101, indicating the outbreak may not be as bad as initially feared.
The country has ordered a five-day shutdown in a bid to contain the virus.
Mexican Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova told the BBC that, based on samples tested, the mortality rate was comparable with that of seasonal flu.
Dr Ryan, meanwhile, said that there was "no evidence of sustained community spread outside of North America".
CONFIRMED CASES
Mexico: 101 suspected deaths - 19 confirmed
US: One death, 160 confirmed cases
New Zealand: 4 confirmed, 12 probable cases
Canada: 35 confirmed cases
UK, Spain: 15 confirmed cases
Germany: 4 confirmed cases
France, Israel, Costa Rica: 2 confirmed cases
Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, South Korea, Italy, Irish Republic: 1 confirmed case
Countries with confirmed cases of secondary transmission:
Mexico
US
Canada
Spain
Germany
UK
"I think it would be, at this stage, unwise to suggest that, in any way, those events are out of control or spreading in an uncontrolled fashion," he said. "I think the next few days will tell as this develops."
"At the present time I would still propose that a pandemic is imminent because we see the disease spread," Dr Ryan added.
The WHO is sending 2.4m courses of antiviral treatment to 72 nations around the world, Dr Ryan said, among them many developing countries.
But in cases of the virus outside Mexico, the effects do not appear to be severe.
Italy and the Irish Republic reported their first cases on Saturday, bringing the number of countries affected to 18.
Canada has announced that a herd of pigs has tested positive for swine flu.
A senior agriculture official told a news conference that the pigs may have been infected by a farm worker who fell ill after returning from Mexico last month.
In Egypt, authorities have begun in earnest the slaughter of more than 300,000 pigs, in what was originally described as a precaution against swine flu.
Experts say the virus cannot be caught from eating pork and there is no scientific rationale for the cull.
Five countries outside Mexico have confirmed person-to-person transmission.
China is trying to stop the spread of the virus, after getting its first case on Friday.
It says it will quarantine all those who travelled on a flight from Mexico with a man suffering from swine flu.
Flights from Mexico have been suspended, and fellow guests and staff at the Hong Kong hotel where he was staying have been quarantined.
On Saturday, Mexico's foreign minister advised citizens not to travel to China to avoid the health measures being taken there against Mexicans.
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