Phase 5 coming WHO set to raise pandemic alert within hours

[seemslikeadream]

MSNBC


http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/URItheFlu/13961

CDC Confirms Swine Flu in 10 States, WHO Ponders Change in Pandemic Alert Level
By Peggy Peck, Executive Editor, MedPage Today
Published: April 29, 2009



WASHINGTON, April 29 -- Continuing the aggressive response to the current swine flu outbreak, the CDC said all states will receive their full allocations of antiviral medications from the national strategic stockpile by May 3.

The CDC also confirmed 91 cases of swine flu in 10 states -- Arizona, California, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Ohio, and Texas.


Those cases include the first death, a 22-month-old boy, in Houston. The child, from Mexico City, was visiting relatives in Texas when he developed symptoms on April 9.


Meanwhile, in Geneva, Keiji Fukuda, M.D., the World Health Organization's assistant director-general for health, security, and environment, said the agency may raise the pandemic threat level again.

http://www.kyivpost.com/world/40579

GENEVA, April 29 (Reuters) - The World Health Organisation is set to increase its pandemic flu alert level to 5 -- its second-highest level -- within hours, sources said on Wednesday.


"Things are moving fast," said one well-informed source. Another said the WHO was likely to increase the alert by one step, from 4 to 5, in response to the spreading swine flu virus, saying: "I don't think it will be 6."

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. And I am sorry if this INFORMATION scares some people

:hi:

Two factors

NYC where person to person has established itself, and SPAIN

[dem629]

2. Run for your lives!

[Occulus]

3. B-b-but *I* thought the Mexican kid didn't count so that's why it wasn't Level 5 today

/breathless smugness

[tekisui]

4. It is good to move along in these phases.

It seems to be not a serious as its potential was.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Actually this is what phase five means

Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.

It also means PANDEMIC

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/phase/en/index.html

I am sorry if information scares people (tm)

[tekisui]

10. It is a pandemic.

We will learn much from this.

I like your disclaimer. You should add, sorry if you feel the need to belittle this information.:hi:

[nadinbrzezinski]

13. Good point decided to start using that for the poo flinging that has been

ongoing

Thanks

[rcrush]

6. LAUNCH THE NUKES!

ITS OVER!!!!! lol jk

[nadinbrzezinski]

8. WHO goes phase five and you want us to go DEFCON 1?

FUNNY!

[luvspeas]

7. And after 5 comes.....

[dem629]

9. LOL

:rofl:

[nonconformist]

11. Anyone know when was the last time this happened?

Raising the WHO pandemic alert to 5? Was it with SARS? Avian flu?

[tekisui]

12. No. Neither SARS nor the Avian Flu made it to 4.

[nonconformist]

14. Yikes.

[FedUpWithIt All]

16. WHO has never raised an alert to 4, let alone 5. n/t

[snowdays]

15. Expert says swine flu could spread faster than SARS virus...............

Lots of unknowns cause it is a new virus.


http://sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20090427/tap-310-expert-says-swine-flu-spread-fas-231650b.html


Expert says swine flu could spread faster than SARS virus
Channel NewsAsia
Channel NewsAsia - Tuesday, April 28

SINGAPORE: Medical experts say more work needs to be done to figure out how to stop swine flu from becoming a pandemic.

What’s worrying is that the new swine flu strain could spread faster and is harder to detect compared to the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) virus, which caused an epidemic in 2003.

Associate Professor Leo Yee Sin, clinical director of Communicable Disease Centre at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, said: "We know that usually the characteristic of influenza is that the infectious period of an infected person will start one day before clinical illness and about seven days after the onset of clinical illness.

"For SARS, however, the person becomes infectious much later, a few days after the onset of fever.

"If it (swine flu) gathers momentum and proves to be very effective in human—to—human transmission and it follows some of the very common characteristics of the influenza virus, then yes, the spread from human to human is much more efficient in influenza as compared to SARS."

Professor Leo said that because the swine flu is a ne