The total number of officially confirmed swine flu cases has exceeded 525,000 worldwide, with about 6,750 fatalities, the World Health Organization reported on Friday.

Swine flu cases have been officially registered in 206 countries, WHO said.

On November 7, almost 6,100 deaths and more than 482,000 confirmed H1N1 infections in 199 countries had been reported.

WHO said swine flu fatalities had been registered for the first time in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Switzerland, Denmark, and the Maldives.

As of November 1, over 78,000 swine flu cases and at least 300 fatalities have been registered in Europe alone.

The H1N1 virus has so far been confirmed in 5,613 cases in Russia.

The official national death toll from the swine flu in Russia has reached 16. Media reports earlier said there have been 26 human swine flu deaths registered in the country.

Mass swine flu vaccinations began in five Russian regions last week. Medical staff and employees at electrical power and water treatment plants and other facilities will be inoculated first.

Four vaccines against the virus have been tested and registered in Russia. The government has allocated 4 billion rubles ($140 million) to buy the initial 43 million doses of vaccines. Russia plans to have 35.5 million doses before the end of the year.

Russia's health minister Tatyana Golikova warned earlier this month against panic over the virus.

MOSCOW, November 20 (RIA Novosti)