Swine Flu Moves Toward Pandemic Level

ByStander

The World Health Organization raised its global alert level for swine flu to phase 5, signaling that a pandemic is "imminent" as the virus continues to spread and cause new outbreaks.

The United Nations public-health agency already had raised its alert level on Monday to phase 4 from phase 3 in recognition that the A/H1N1 virus was spreading from person to person. The move to phase 5 indicates that the virus is causing multiple outbreaks in at least two countries in one region and that "the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short," according to the agency's Web site.

In a conference call with reporters, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said the decision to raise the alert level again had been made after the agency established that sustained person-to-person transmission is occurring both in Mexico and the U.S., where 91 cases have now been confirmed, with one death.

"All countries should immediately activate their pandemic preparation plans," she said.

Ms. Chan said it remained unclear whether any pandemic would be mild or severe because the virus strain's mortality rate hasn't yet been clearly established. "The biggest question right now is this: How severe will the pandemic be?" she said.

One of the mysteries surrounding the virus so far is why it seems to have caused more serious cases of illness in Mexico, where 159 people are suspected to have died from it, than in the U.S.

The WHO's alert system ranges from phase 1 to phase 6. Phase 6 indicates a global pandemic is under way.