The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 1 million Americans have contracted swine flu this year. That figure dwarfs the 27,717 confirmed and probable U.S. cases, but it also means the odds of surviving the disease — 127 people have died — are much better than previously thought.

BBC:

The CDC based its figures on surveys, rather than laboratory evidence, but the numbers suggest the death rate from swine flu is lower than thought.

“We’re saying that there have been at least a million cases of the new H1N1 virus so far this year in the United States,” said Anne Schuchat of the CDC.

“Reported cases are really just the tip of the iceberg.”

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