WHO elevates H1N1 to pandemic level
by admin on Jun.12, 2009, under Healthcare, News, Swine Flu
The (6/12, A5, Esterl, subscription required) reports, “The World Health Organization declared the first flu pandemic in 41 years, even as it stressed there are no signs the H1N1 virus has turned more lethal as it spreads across the globe.” The declaration “requires countries not yet exposed to the new influenza strain to roll out pandemic-prevention plans and step up monitoring efforts. It also will likely accelerate efforts to develop a vaccine, expected to take several months.” Although Dr. Margaret Chan, the director-general of the WHO, said the “overwhelming majority” of those diagnosed with H1N1 have “experienced mild symptoms and recovered quickly without medical treatment,” she also “warned that the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, is likely to continue to spread and that it could turn more virulent or affect populations differently.”
