Germany and Austria became the latest European countries to report swine flu on Wednesday, while the number of cases increased in the United Kingdom and Spain.

CNN: WHO raises pandemic alert to second-highest level

Meanwhile, Britain's health secretary announced Friday that his country's Health Protection Agency had sequenced the full genetic code of the H1N1 virus, the first step in producing a European prototype of a swine flu vaccine.

CNN: WHO reports big jump in swine flu cases

Researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine have also launched The Flu Survey, which has recruited volunteers from 10 European countries to report symptoms and provide weekly updates of the spread of flu across the continent.

BBC: Can crowdsourcing beat the flu?

The main risk may be that the purchase will mean all of the major makers of U.S. flu vaccines will be European companies.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Many of the region's pharmaceutical names were knocked back recently when swine flu vaccine orders were canceled by several European nations, so the latest news from the U.S. is "a short-term positive, " said Pope.

FORBES: Magazine Article

Fouchier also receives some NIH funding, but the rest is supported by the European Union and other organizations, so his group can continue studying avian flu using those non-U.S. resources.

CNN: Bird flu research resumes -- but not in U.S.

"In order not to have a negative effect on our industry, especially under this crisis situation, we decided to call it 'novel flu' from now on, " said Androulla Vassiliou, the European commissioner for health.

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On Monday, Thomas Lonngren, the head of the European Medicines Agency, said such a human vaccine might not be ready before next year's winter flu season.

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