by Richard Knox


OK, it's official. The world has entered the first pandemic of the 21st century -- the latest in 41 years.

The World Health Organization has informed its member-states that today it's declaring a Phase 6 pandemic alert. That means a new flu virus is spreading widely in two or more regions of the world.

WHO Director-general Margaret Chan gave the news to Geneva-based ambassadors shortly after she met with her so-called emergency committee of about 20 flu experts. Chan has sole authority to declare a pandemic, but she has taken great care --- and incurred unnecesary delays, some say --- to get consensus that, in fact, a pandemic has begun.

Chan is scheduled to hold a press conference around noon today, eastern time, to make the official announcement.

She's expected to call the pandemic of 2009 "moderate." But most expect that she'll warn its impact on vulnerable populations can be severe. And she may caution the new H1N1 strain of flu could get nastier as it circulates through millions of people over the next few months.

What does the formal declaration mean?

Probably it'll goose vaccine manufacturers...and assure them of a market. Beyond that, it may not alter much. Paradoxically, WHO officials hope some countries will ratchet down severe measures aimed at keeping the new virus beyond their borders.

" With a pandemic declaration," one official says, "we're saying the virus is widespread and virtually unstoppable."

WHO told member states this morning that it is raising it's pandemic alert for swine flu to the highest level.

categories: Swine Flu (H1N1)

10:29 - June 11, 2009

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