"According to official data of the World Health Organization, the number of the countries that reported the cases of the highly pathogenic A(H1N1) virus has risen from 15 to 17 as of 3:00 p.m. Moscow time [11:00 GMT] on May 3. The total number of cases reached 787, including 20 deaths," Rospotrebnadzor said.
Mexico has reported 506 confirmed human cases of infection, including 19 deaths. The United States has reported 160 laboratory confirmed human cases, including one death, Rospotrebnadzor said.
The regulator also said that a passenger who had arrived at Sheremetyevo airport from the U.S. was hospitalized in Moscow with suspected swine flu but laboratory tests did not confirm the virus.
The WHO raised on April 29 its alert level for a pandemic from 4 to 5.
Although the illness has so far claimed few lives, the outbreak has sparked a number of dramatic media reports suggesting future death tolls "could" be in the tens of thousands or even millions.
The global health body also said well-cooked pork and pork products carry no risk of infection from the virus.
The head of Russia's Flu Research Institute said in an interview with RIA Novosti on Thursday that Russian scientists could create a vaccine to combat swine flu in three months.
