WHO Readies to Declare Swine Flu Pandemic
Emergency meeting on Thursday may be last step, health officials say
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, June 11 (HealthDay News) -- The World Health Organization was set on Thursday to declare the first influenza pandemic since 1968, caused by the H1N1 virus's rapid spread in North America, Australia, South America, Europe and regions beyond, health officials said.
WHO convened an emergency teleconference, scheduled to begin at 6 a.m. EDT, to discuss the situation with leading flu experts, the Associated Press reported. Health officials from Indonesia, Scotland and Thailand have said that WHO would likely declare a swine flu pandemic after that conference.
A surge in cases of H1N1 swine flu in Australia might have tipped the balance and made a pandemic declaration likely, agency officials said Tuesday.
Cases in Australia rose by more than 1,000 on Monday, with most occurring in the southern state of Victoria. Rapid spread of the virus in a region beyond North America has been considered a key factor in labeling the outbreak a pandemic.
On Thursday, Indonesia's health minister, Siti Fadilah Supari, said that WHO had notified her that "today will be declared to be phase 6," the pandemic level of the outbreak.
"We are getting really very close to knowing that we are in a pandemic situation," WHO influenza chief Keiji Fukuda said in Geneva on Tuesday.
He said the agency was concerned about the possible "adverse effects" of moving the alert from its current status of phase 5 to the highest level, phase 6, indicating a full pandemic, the AP reported. Fukuda cited concerns over possible panic among the public or inappropriate steps taken by governments.
However, "on the surface of it, I think we are in phase 6," Margaret Chan, the WHO's director-general, had also noted on Tuesday. According to Chan, it is crucial to verify that H1N1 has become established beyond North America before a pandemic is declared. "Once I get indisputable evidence, I will make the announcement," she said.
On Wednesday, Chan held a teleconference with representatives from eight countries with large swine flu outbreaks to determine if a pandemic should be declared.
According to the latest WHO data, there are now 27,737 reported cases of swine flu infection across 74 countries, including 141 deaths. That includes 13,217 cases and 27 deaths reported as of June 5 in the United States by officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Though the vast majority of infections and deaths have occurred in Mexico (the source of the outbreak) and the United States, person-to-person transmission is now being reported in Australia and Chile, as well as Great Britain, Spain and Japan, according to published reports.
But Fukuda also expressed concern Tuesday about reports of unusually large numbers of severe cases among Canada's Inuit population, according to AP.
The vast majority of swine flu cases globally have remained mild, but some of the deaths have occurred in otherwise healthy people, the WHO noted. "Approximately half the people who have died from this H1N1 infection have previously been healthy people," Fukuda said. He called that "one of the observations which has given us the most concern."
Since the outbreak started in April, health officials in the United States have also said that infections have been mild for the most part, and most people recover fairly quickly. Testing has found that the H1N1 virus remains susceptible to two common antiviral drugs, Tamiflu and Relenza.
During the next few months, CDC scientists will be looking to see if the swine flu virus mutates or becomes resistant to antiviral medications or is more easily spread among people.
U.S. health officials have said there's no way to tell now if the H1N1 virus will be more virulent when -- and if -- it returns to the Northern Hemisphere with the approach of winter.
A vaccine for the swine flu virus could be ready by October, if research and testing proceed on pace this summer. Candidate viruses have been shipped to vaccine manufacturers, agency officials said.
It's still not clear whether such a vaccine is needed. Any decision to move forward would be based on several factors, including the severity and spread of the virus and whether there's a safe and effective vaccine, the CDC has said.
U.S. Human Cases of H1N1 Flu Infection
(As of June 5, 2009, 11:00 AM ET) |
| States and Territories* |
# of
confirmed and
probable cases |
Deaths |
| Alabama |
94 |
|
| Alaska |
3 |
|
| Arkansas |
9 |
|
| Arizona |
547 |
4 deaths |
| California |
973 |
|
| Colorado |
75 |
|
| Connecticut |
395 |
1 death |
| Delaware |
142 |
|
| Florida |
247 |
|
| Georgia |
33 |
|
| Hawaii |
115 |
|
| Idaho |
16 |
|
| Illinois |
1357 |
5 |
| Indiana |
173 |
|
| Iowa |
92 |
|
| Kansas |
92 |
|
| Kentucky |
96 |
|
| Louisiana |
134 |
|
| Maine |
17 |
|
| Maryland |
89 |
|
| Massachusetts |
787 |
|
| Michigan |
298 |
1 death |
| Minnesota |
82 |
|
| Mississippi |
40 |
|
| Missouri |
46 |
1 death |
| Montana |
15 |
|
| Nebraska |
60 |
|
| Nevada |
128 |
|
| New Hampshire |
64 |
|
| New Jersey |
148 |
|
| New Mexico |
108 |
|
| New York |
858 |
8 deaths |
| North Carolina |
30 |
|
| North Dakota |
23 |
|
| Ohio |
35 |
|
| Oklahoma |
93 |
|
| Oregon |
167 |
|
| Pennsylvania |
299 |
|
| Rhode Island |
18 |
|
| South Carolina |
60 |
|
| South Dakota |
10 |
|
| Tennessee |
104 |
|
| Texas |
1670 |
3 deaths |
| Utah |
461 |
2 deaths |
| Vermont |
9 |
|
| Virginia |
55 |
1 death |
| Washington |
577 |
1 death |
| Washington, D.C. |
24 |
|
| West Virginia |
6 |
|
| Wisconsin |
2217 |
|
| Wyoming |
25 |
|
|
Territories
|
| Puerto Rico |
1 case |
|
|
TOTAL*(52)
|
13,217 cases
|
27 deaths
|
| *includes the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico
Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
|
|
More information
For more on swine flu, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
SOURCES: Associated Press; U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Last Updated: June 11, 2009
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