The international outbreak of swine flu has now hit the highest level set by World Health Organization (WHO) standards. As reported yesterday, the H1N1 has evolved over the last few days, causing officials to consider elevating the alert status. This morning, WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan officially announced the change in status from level 5 to level 6, saying, “On the basis of available evidence, and these expert assessments of the evidence, the scientific criteria for an influenza pandemic have been met.”
Dr. Margaret Chan warned that, "This means the world is moving into the early days of its first influenza pandemic in the 21st century.” While the alert has been raised to level 6 (of 6), she is optimistic and explained that the pandemic is considered moderate at this time. This is due, in part, to the pandemic preparedness that has been put in place over the last five years. She seemed confident that “we have a head start…and…are in a strong position.”
Level 6 means that the “spread of the virus continues and activity has become established in at least two regions in the world,” according to Dr. Keiji Fukuda, acting WHO assistant director-general. At present, 74 countries have officially reported 28,774 cases of influenza H1N1infection, including 144 deaths. Addressing the increase in cases and deaths, Dr. Chan said, “Worldwide, the number of deaths is small. Each and every one of these deaths is tragic, and we have to brace ourselves to see more. However, we do not expect to see a sudden and dramatic jump in the number of severe or fatal infections.”
Currently, the countries with the most cases are:
* United States 13,217
* Mexico 6,241
* Canada 2,446
* Chile 1,694
* Australia 1,307
The highest number of deaths has occurred in Mexico, with 108. The United States is a distant second with 27 deaths. No other country has reported more than 4 deaths. For more details, WHO has published a map of influenza outbreak, which you can access here.
source:
By: Susan Brady
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