11 June 2009 -- On the basis of available evidence and expert assessments of the evidence, the scientific criteria for an influenza pandemic have been met. The Director-General of WHO has therefore decided to raise the level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 5 to phase 6.
http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html
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Let's have a brief look of what's inside:
---"The virus is contagious, spreading easily from one person to another, and from one country to another. As of today, nearly 30,000 confirmed cases have been reported in 74 countries.---This is only part of the picture. With few exceptions, countries with large numbers of cases are those with good surveillance and testing procedures in place."
---"I have therefore decided to raise the level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 5 to phase 6.---The world is now at the start of the 2009 influenza pandemic."
---"this early, patchy picture can change very quickly. The virus writes the rules and this one, like all influenza viruses, can change the rules, without rhyme or reason, at any time."
---"Most cases of severe and fatal infections have been in adults between the ages of 30 and 50 years."
Actually, I have some personal opinion about "Most cases of severe and fatal infections have been in adults between the ages of 30 and 50 years."
WHO recognize this as a different characteristic between Influenza A H1N1 and other regular seasonal flu:"This pattern is significantly different from that seen during epidemics of seasonal influenza, when most deaths occur in frail elderly people."
I do not totally agree with that. Yes it is killing a different group of people(30-50 yrs old), but it's not necessarily because its characteristic is defferent. It may be more likly because that the majority of this group(30-50 yrs old) consists of travelling people and the virus is primarily spreaded by travelling so far, or "at this beginning period". Once, which is of course not wanted by anyone, the situation changed and the virus begins to primarily spread domestically/locally, maybe it will kill more elder people than usual!
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