MINA, Saudi Arabia – Five people died from swine flu during the hajj, Saudi Arabia said Sunday, a relatively small number considering the event is the largest annual gathering in the world and is seen as an ideal incubator for the virus. But some experts warned the true extent of the virus will not be known until pilgrims return to their home countries around the world.

BOISE — State health officials say nearly 800 people have tested positive for the swine flu in the past three months, and about 30 of those cases were reported in the past week.

Swine flu has been linked to the death Monday of a Spokane man in his 70s, health officials reported. The man died at a local hospital and had underlying medical conditions. His is the seventh confirmed swine-flu death of a Spokane County resident.

A influx of swine flu vaccines has prompted local health officials to offer a series of appointment-only clinics in early December.

A influx of swine flu vaccines has prompted local health officials to offer a series of appointment-only clinics in early December.

LOS ANGELES – Silvia Cordero eyed the row of disinfecting gels, soaps and hand sanitizers at a Rite-Aid in Culver City with the intensity of a drill sergeant preparing troops for a skirmish with the H1N1 flu virus. “They’re going in my car, in my desk at work, and in my sons’ backpacks,” said Cordero, 28. “I don’t really like the way any of them feel on my skin, but they might help keep us healthy.”

Swine flu has likely sickened more than 500,000 people in Washington, the state’s Health Department estimates. The surprising new number is based on the statistical modeling that federal officials used to determine 22 million Americans have had the swine flu since April. Nearly 4,000 people in the U.S., including 540 children, have died from the viral infection. The national figures roughly quadrupled the previous death estimates, but they don’t necessarily mean that swine flu has worsened. Most cases still don’t require a doctor’s care. Instead, the numbers are a long-awaited better attempt to quantify the new flu’s toll.

Swine flu has sickened about 22 million Americans since April and killed nearly 4,000, including 540 children, say startling federal estimates released Thursday.