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BBC NEWS | Americas | 'Too late' to contain swine fluThe swine flu virus first detected in Mexico can no longer be contained and countries should focus on mitigating its effects, a top UN official said.
World Health Organization deputy chief Keiji Fukuda was speaking as the WHO raised its alert level to four, or two steps short of a full pandemic.
UN food inspectors are going to Mexico to examine reports that industrial pig farms were the source of the outbreak.
The number of probable deaths from the virus there has risen to 152.
New Zealand confirmed at least three cases on Tuesday, and Israel one.
The US, Canada, Spain and Britain confirmed cases earlier but no deaths have been reported outside Mexico.
'Not inevitable'
Alert level four means the virus is showing a sustained ability to pass from human to human and is able to cause community-level outbreaks.
Mr Fukuda said this was a "significant step towards pandemic influenza" but a pandemic should not be considered inevitable
...
WHO PANDEMIC ALERT PHASES
Phase 1: No viruses circulating among animals causing infections in humans
Phase 2: Animal influenza virus causes infection in humans, and is considered potential pandemic threat
Phase 3: Influenza causes sporadic cases in people, but no significant human-to-human transmission
Phase 4: Verified human-to-human transmission able to cause community-level outbreaks. Significant increase in risk of a pandemic
Phase 5: Human-to-human transmission in at least two countries. Strong signal pandemic imminent
Phase 6: Virus spreads to another country in a different region. Global pandemic under way
I've read a few accounts now where various people in Mexico are claiming the numbers of infected/dead are much higher then those being officially declared.
I do have to wonder IF they find out its going to be really bad ..will "they" tell us?
(If it continues to grow in numbers in Mexico over the coming week.
The USA should seal the border.)
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