Global General

Special

Newsmaker

Asia Pacific

America

Middle East

Europe

Africa

WHO declares A(H1N1) flu pandemic

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-06-11 22:50

GENEVA – The World Health Organization has told its member nations it is declaring a A(H1N1) flu pandemic - the first global flu epidemic in 41 years.

Related readings:  Chinese mainland reports 111 A/H1N1 flu cases  Health chief defends flu program  China may see localized outbreaks of A(H1N1) flu  2 million to get free flu vaccine Mainland H1N1 flu cases hit 89; 50 recover

The move came Thursday as infections climbed in the United States, Europe, Australia, South America and elsewhere.

In a statement sent to member countries, WHO says it decided to raise the pandemic alert level from phase 5 to 6, meaning that a global outbreak of A(H1N1) flu has begun. The decision was made after the UN health agency held an emergency meeting on A(H1N1) flu with its experts.

The long-awaited pandemic decision is scientific confirmation that a new flu virus has emerged and is quickly circling the globe. It will trigger drugmakers to speed up production of a A(H1N1) flu vaccine and prompt governments to devote more money toward efforts to contain the virus.

"At this early stage, the pandemic can be characterized globally as being moderate in severity," WHO said in the statement, urging nations not to close borders or restrict travel and trade. "(We) remain in close dialogue with influenza vaccine manufacturers."

On Wednesday, WHO said 74 countries had reported nearly 27,737 cases of A(H1N1) flu, including 141 deaths.

The agency has stressed that most cases are mild and require no treatment, but the fear is that a rash of new infections could overwhelm hospitals and health authorities — especially in poorer countries.

Still, about half of the people who have died from A(H1N1) flu were previously young and healthy — people who are not usually susceptible to flu.

A(H1N1) flu is also continuing to spread during the start of summer in the northern hemisphere. Normally, flu viruses disappear with warm weather, but A(H1N1) flu is proving to be resilient.

The last pandemic in 1968 killed about 1 million people. Ordinary flu kills about 250,000 to 500,000 people each year.

Fear has already gripped Argentina, where thousands of people worried about A(H1N1) flu flooded into hospitals this week, bringing emergency health services in the capital of Buenos Aires to the brink of collapse. Last month, a bus arriving in Argentina from Chile was stoned by people who thought a passenger on it had A(H1N1) flu. Chile has the most A(H1N1) flu cases in South America.

In the United States, where there have been more than 13,000 cases and at least 27 deaths from A(H1N1) flu, officials at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the move would not change how the US tackled A(H1N1) flu.

"Our actions in the past month have been as if there was a pandemic in this country," Glen Nowak, a CDC spokesman, said Thursday.

The US government has already taken steps like increasing availability of flu-fighting medicines and authorizing $1 billion for the development of a new vaccine against the novel virus. In addition, new cases seem to be declining in many parts of the country, US health officials say, as North America moves out of its traditional winter flu season.

Still, Osterholm said the declaration was a wake-up call for the world.

"I think a lot of people think we're done with A(H1N1) flu, but you can't fall asleep at the wheel," he said. "We don't know what's going to happen in the next 6 to 12 months."