WASHINGTON, US - Mexican officials said Tuesday that 116 people have now died from swine flu in the country where the virus was first detected in humans.

A total of 8,613 people in Mexico are thought to have contracted the A(H1N1) virus, an increase from figures contained in a press statement last week that cited 113 deaths since June 16 and 7,624 cases of infection since June 18.

The latest press release said 'very few of the cases involved recent symptoms,' and Mexican health officials said this was a sign that the epidemic is on the decline.

Mexico is hosting an international summit on swine flu at the coastal resort of Cancun on July 2-3.

The director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Margaret Chan, is expected to attend with experts from around 40 countries.