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WHO: 64 countries affected by "moderate" swine flu
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 02 - 06 - 2009


The World Health Organization said Tuesday that 64
countries have seen cases of the new influenza A(H1N1) virus, with a
global total of 18,965 infections, according to dpa.
Most of the cases were in North America. An overwhelming majority
of the 117 deaths related to the disease were in Mexico.
Keiji Fukuda, the WHO's chief of health security, said the disease
was continuing its spread, with some countries in Europe starting to
show early signs of community spread.
"It is clear the virus continues to spread internationally," he
said.
The Southern Hemisphere would have to be closely watched, Fukuda
said, as it was going into its regular flu season. Chile, he noted,
was seeing a large amount of swine flu cases compared to the normal
seasonal virus.
The WHO has its pandemic influenza alert at Phase 5, the
penultimate level. To raise it to Phase 6, the WHO said it would need
to see sustained community spread outside North America.
"We are at Phase 5 but getting closer to Phase 6," Fukuda told
reporters.
The WHO has said it will also include the severity of the virus in
determining a phase change.
Regarding the disease's virulence, he said it was "probably fair
to call the situation something like moderate right now."
Fukuda said the WHO would "continue to develop ways to assess
severity."
"Assessing severity is a rather difficult job," he said, adding
that it was not based "just on the quality of the virus and its
ability to harm, but a combination of that virulence and the
vulnerability of populations."
The WHO would also work more closely with countries so they could
plan their actions. Fukuda said this would "help reduce some of the
more drastic actions, which may be uncalled for."
Some governments imposed bans on imports of pig meat from affected
countries, in spite of WHO's insistence that there was no danger from
eating well-cooked pork. Egypt announced it would cull the country's
herds of swine.


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