June 11th, 2009 | Comments Off
The WHO is set to announce officially that novel H1N1 or swine flu has reached official pandemic status. That is a phase six. This is the first influenza pandemic since the Hong Kong flu of 1968.
A pandemic declaration is based on the spread of the illness and not necessarily upon how deadly it is. Of the four influenza pandemics in modern times, 1918 Spanish Flu, the 1957 Asian Flu and the 1968 Hong Kong Flu, this outbreak appears to be the mildest. That could change but for now we have an influenza pandemic from a mild strain.
This declaration puts national governments on the spot. Most have prepared a pandemic flu plan with the steps that they would take when a pandemic is declared. For many nations, this means expenditure of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Commentary, Influenza, Medicine, Original writing, Pandemic, Reporting, Swine Flu
On Y!CN
Pandemic! Swine Flu or Novel H1N1 Official Pandemic as of 6 pm GMT
June 11th, 2009 | Comments Off
The WHO is set to announce officially that novel H1N1 or swine flu has reached official pandemic status. That is a phase six. This is the first influenza pandemic since the Hong Kong flu of 1968. A pandemic declaration is based on the spread of the illness and not necessarily upon how deadly it is. Of the four influenza pandemics in modern times, 1918 Spanish Flu, the 1957 Asian Flu and the 1968 Hong Kong Flu, this outbreak appears to be the mildest. That could change but for now we have an influenza pandemic from a mild strain. This declaration puts national governments on the spot. Most have prepared a pandemic flu plan with the steps that they would take when a pandemic is declared. For many nations, this means expenditure of … Read entire article »
Filed under: Commentary, Influenza, Medicine, Original writing, Pandemic, Reporting, Swine Flu