Based on the fact that swine flu has been reported in multiple locations in different countries and is clearly passing from human to human, it was perhaps a given that the World Health Organization would raise its pandemic alert level to Phase 4 from Phase 3. That means there are sustained outbreaks of the virus, though it doesn’t mean that a pandemic is a forgone conclusion. (See what the phases mean.)
The WHO isn’t taking major steps such as recommending border closures and travel restrictions, said Keiji Fukuda, the WHO’s interim assistant director-general for health security and environment. Those steps won’t really help, because the virus is already widespread. So the focus is on “mitigation,” Fukuda said. “This virus is too widespread to make containment a feasible consideration.”
The WHO is sending a “strong signal” to countries to “strengthen preparations” for a pandemic. And public-health officials are focused on protecting individuals — for instance making sure they have the information they need about the virus so they can avoid infection. And though there aren’t travel restrictions, people who are sick would be prudent to delay travel; returning travelers who have become ill should seek medical attention, Fukuda said.
Work has also started on a vaccine for swine flu. It takes four to six months to concoct such a vaccine and make it available, and several more to produce enough for a lot of people, the WHO said.
Meanwhile, the acting head of the CDC said earlier today that a rise in the pandemic alert level to Phase 4 “would not change anything that we are currently doing.”
Image: World Health Organization