WHO Moves to Pandemic Alert Level 6

Following a meeting of the WHO Emergency Committee this morning, the decision was taken to raise the Pandemic Alert level to level 6 for the first time in 41 years.

Director General, Margaret Chan, explained that Influenza A(H1N1) is significantly different from seasonal flu in that it preferentially infects people with a mean age <25 years. Two percent of cases result in severe illness and a progression to pneumonia. These cases tend to be adults between 30-50 years of age. One-third to one-half of cases occur in previously healthy people though, some underlying health conditions do present additional risk (e.g. respiratory diseases, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune disorders, diabetes and obesity).

Dr. Chan said the move to level 6 does not indicate an increase in severity, but rather reflects sustained transmission (not simply due to travel related cases) globally and the need for countries to activate their pandemic plans. She cautioned that we need to be vigilant in tracking the virus in the developing world where differences in surveillance, underlying health conditions and available medical care may mean the virus will take a trajectory different to that we have witnessed thus far. At this time, the WHO is not recommending any travel restrictions or border closures.

A link to Dr. Chan's statement: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2009/h1n1_pandemic_phase6_20090611/en/index.html

With 25 new cases confirmed today, the UK case count now totals 822. England - 502, Scotland - 311, Northern Ireland - 7, Wales - 2