In a follow-up to a report earlier this week, the H1N1 influenza, or swine flu outbreak is “under control”, according to Iran’s health minister Hassan Ghazizadeh Hashemi, Iranian media report.

Hashemi said, “The first phase of the [swine] flu disease in the country is under control.”

The outbreak has  hospitalized some 600 people in Kerman province and killed 42 across the country during the past month. Fatalities were reported as close as 18 miles from Tehran in the city of Karaj, according to the report.

There were concerns of the virus spreading into the metro capital area of 15 million people–“The health ministry predicts that the virus will spread in the coming days to Tehran”, Deputy Health Minister Ali-Akbar Sayyari said earlier.

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