In a widely anticipated emergency meeting today in response to the swine flu threat, the World Health Organization announced that it is raising its pandemic alert level to Phase 4 from Phase 3 -- the first time the alert level has been raised above 3 since the system was adopted in 2005.
The Phase 4 designation signifies that the new swine flu virus can cause sustained outbreaks and is adapting itself to spread among humans -- significant steps toward a pandemic. But the ranking does not necessarily mean that a pandemic is a forgone conclusion.
Meanwhile, 20 additional cases of swine flu have been confirmed at a New York City school, boosting the total number of cases to 28, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said today. - ABC News Story
No comments:
Post a Comment