WHO: swine flu pandemic imminent as alert level raised to five

by Rich Bowden - Apr 30 2009, 00:20

The U.N.'s World Health Organisation (WHO) has all-but admitted that a pandemic of swine flu is imminent after raising its alert level to five, the second such rise in just three days.

The alert means confirmation of human-to-human infection in more than one country and is just one level down from a full pandemic alert.

The agency's Director-General, Dr. Margaret Chan, said the change in alert was a signal to countries to begin to prepare for a swine flu (H1N1) pandemic.

"This change to a higher phase of alert is a signal to governments, to ministries of health and other ministries, to the pharm industry and the business community that certain actions now should be taken with increased urgency and at an accelerated pace," she said at a news conference in Geneva.

However, Dr. Chan also told reporters that her organisation believed the world to be, "better prepared for an influenza pandemic than at any time" in history. This is despite the virus spreading to eight nations and 11 U.S. states, with the U.S. reporting the first death caused by the virus outside Mexico.

Asking the question on everyone's lips, Dr. Chan said: "The question now is how severe will the pandemic be, especially now at the start? It is important for us to take this very seriously and take vigilance as the virus evolves."

U.S. President Barack Obama has described the outbreak as "serious" and ordered schools with confirmed cases to close.

Speaking in Washington, the president hinted at extra steps the government would take to mitigate the spread of the virus.

"Every American should know that the federal government is prepared to do whatever is necessary to control the impact of this virus," he said.

Health authorities in the U.S. have added their condolences to the family of the 23-month-old toddler from Texas that became the country's first confirmed death from H1N1.

"As a parent and a pediatrician my heart goes out to the family. As I've been saying for the past few days flu is a very serious infection, and each virus is unique so it is hard to know what we're going to be seeing," Richard Besser, the acting director the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), told CNN.

WHO and other health authorities throughout the world have begun urgent work on a vaccine for the virus, however it is considered this may be some months away from fruition.

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