The world is "getting closer" to a full-scale swine flu pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns.
The official declaration of a pandemic alert -- triggered by widespread H1N1 swine flu beyond the Americas -- will come with a new severity rating, said Keiji Fukuda, WHO interim assistant director-general for health security and environment.
The WHO has been dragging its feet over declaring a worldwide pandemic to avoid causing undue alarm and to allow it time to develop specific guidance for different parts of the world.
When swine flu broke out, the world was already at phase 3 of its six-phase pandemic warning system. That was because the deadly H5N1 bird flu was infecting humans but not spreading from person to person.
WebMD has the complete report.
On a similar note, The Star newspaper reported "A (H1N1) Flu: Malaysia reports 3 more cases".
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