Health Highlights: Aug. 4, 2009

Aug. 5 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

Swine Flu Deaths Surge, WHO Reports

The World Health Organization reported Tuesday that 338 people died from swine flu in the last week.

The H1N1 virus is now responsible for a total of at least 1,154 deaths since it emerged in Mexico and the United States in April and became a pandemic, the Associated Press reported.

Last week, the official WHO death toll was 816.

WHO said Tuesday that laboratory-confirmed cases of the disease have now reached 162,380.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government may take a less aggressive stance on school closings in swine flu outbreaks, officials involved in establishing national swine flu response guidelines told the AP.

Earlier this year, the government recommended that schools close down at the first sign of the H1N1 swine flu virus, but that advice was later relaxed.

Under the new guidelines, federal officials may recommend school closures only under "extenuating circumstances," such as cases where there are many children with underlying medical conditions, an official involved in guideline discussions told the AP.

The government might also suggest school closures if many students or staff are already sick or absent. Officials are trying to finalize guidelines before the start of the new school year.

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Human Malaria Originated In Chimps: Study

Chimpanzees appear to be the source of malaria in humans, according to a study released Tuesday.

Researchers studied malaria in chimps in Cameroon and Ivory Coast and concluded that the parasite that causes malaria in humans likely developed from the parasite that causes malaria in chimps, the Associated Press reported. It had been believed the two parasites developed from a common origin.