WHO declares H1N1 flu pandemic
GENEVA: The A(H1N1) flu crisis has escalated into the world's first influenza pandemic in 40 years, the World Health Organisation declared on Thursday, after infecting tens of thousands of people in 74 countries.
WHO Director General Margaret Chan said the declaration of a "moderate" pandemic should not spark panic and did not mean the death toll from A(H1N1), which currently stands at 144, would rise sharply.
The UN body said it was not recommending the closure of borders nor restrictions in movement of people, goods and services. But it warned the virus was spreading beyond the Americas where it was first detected in April.
"We will be raising our pandemic alert level to level six; and this means that the world is moving into the early days of its first influenza pandemic in the 21st century," Chan told reporters after a meeting of scientific experts.
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