The swine-flu news just keeps getting worse.

There are now 70 reported cases of "swine flu" in the U.S., and Germany and Austria became the latest countries to report illnesses. The World Health Organization has confirmed 105 cases of swine flu in seven countries.

President Obama said Wednesday that "every American should know that the federal government will do whatever is necessary to control the impact of this virus," but said there are many steps the Americans should follow to keep from getting sick — including staying home from work or school if you are sick. Click here to read wOw’s 5 things you should know about the H1N1 virus. We at least now have a health and human services secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, to help serve point on the crisis here at home!

But to put this all into perspective, before we all start wearing SARS masks and hiding out in our homes, consider this: The regular flu virus has killed thousands of people since January and is expected to keep killing hundreds of people every week for the rest of the year. CNN points out that even if swine-flu deaths spread, while they are extremely unfortunate, the virus has a long way to go before it can beat the 36,000 or so deaths here in the U.S. alone attributed to the regular ole’ seasonal influenza.

In other swine flu news:

- The U.S. suffered its first swine flu death: a 23-month-old child in Texas. Health officials said today it was a Mexican child visiting family in Texas.

- The pork industry is fighting back against some countries’ bans against importing the meat. Even though officials and experts say there the virus cannot be transmitted by eating pork, at least 10 countries have halted the import of all pork products.

- The H1N1 virus may be spreading within New York City; victims now could be in the hundreds.

- Some companies are restricting employee travel, reports Reuters, while an unconfirmed case at Ernst & Young led the firm to close part of its New York office.

- Three more cases of H1N1 have been confirmed in the U.K., raising the total number so far to five. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said all three of the most recent victims had recently traveled to Mexico, the origin of the outbreak.