Current WHO phase of pandemic alert raised to level 6

Current WHO phase of pandemic alert raised to level 6

Influenza pandemic alert raised to phase 6
11 June 2009 -- On the basis of available evidence and expert assessments of the evidence, the scientific criteria for an influenza pandemic have been met. The Director-General of WHO has therefore decided to raise the level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 5 to phase 6. "The world is now at the start of the 2009 influenza pandemic," she said at a press conference today.
Read Dr Chan's statement to the press


WHO says H1N1 a pandemic
(00:50) Rough Cut Reuters Video

Jun 11 - Sweden's Ministry of Health says the World Health Organisation has decided to raise the new H1N1 virus threat level to phase six.
The WHO held an emergency meeting of experts to discuss whether or not to declare a global pandemic of H1N1 flu.
There have been 27,737 infections reported in 74 countries to date, including 141 deaths.

Soundbite:
WHO SPOKESMAN GREGORY HARTL

WHO official says world edging towards pandemic

WHO official says world edging towards pandemic

GENEVA (Reuters) - The spread of H1N1 flu in Australia, Britain, Chile, Japan and Spain has nudged the world closer to a pandemic, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday.
The newly-discovered strain had caused more infections than seasonal influenza at the start of Chile's flu season, raising concern about how it would spread in the southern hemisphere, according to Keiji Fukuda, the WHO's acting assistant director-general.
The virus has mainly affected people aged below 60 and caused 117 deaths worldwide, including some otherwise healthy people, he said. For now, the WHO's pandemic scale remained at the second-highest level but the threshold may soon be crossed.

"Globally we believe that we are at Phase 5 but we are getting closer to Phase 6," Fukuda told journalists. "The future impact of this infection has yet to unfold."
He added: "It is probably fair to call the situation something like moderate right now. We do have some hesitation to call the situation mild."

The new flu, a mixture of swine, bird, and human viruses, remains most prevalent in North America but has infected nearly 19,000 people in 64 countries, according to the U.N. agency's latest toll, which tends to lag behind national figures but is considered more secure.
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http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-SwineFlu/idUSTRE5514R920090602