Swine Flu Pandemic Is Imminent And Brings To five the level of alert Reports WHO

The new phase implies that the virus was transmitted from person to person in at least two countries within a region .- Death in Texas of a Mexican child 23 months who traveled to the U.S. for medical treatment

The World Health Organization (WHO) has decided today to raise the level five alert swine-flu pandemic is the most six, as announced by the agency's director general, Margaret Chan. Phase five indicates that the virus was transmitted from person to person in at least two countries within a region, in this case Mexico and United States, which means a signal that a pandemic is imminent.

The Government of Mexico that are 159 confirmed deaths possibly related to the swine flu in the country. 152 of these deaths are suspected and are located in various parts of the country, while the other 7, which occurred in the capital, should be safe to swine flu. Therefore, the Mexican authorities have tightened sanitary measures with the closure of the local part of the entertainment and restaurants.

Chan made this announcement after presiding over a conference call with experts from the emergency committee of the organization. "All humanity is under threat of a pandemic," said the director of the WHO appealed to governments, pharmaceutical industries and the business community to pool efforts and resources against this crisis. "The positive side is that the world is better prepared for pandemic than at any other time in history," he added.

According to the guide that the organization has distributed among its member states, this decision means that it must move from the stage of preparation to the action in those countries that have confirmed cases of patients and in those that have not yet accounted for.

At the state level, a key action is to decide whether it is necessary to declare a national emergency and at what level, and have well-stocked distribution network of medicines or treatments available. Each country must assess whether you need outside help, and if necessary apply not only to help the people but also to prevent the pandemic from spreading to neighboring countries.

The UN agency recognizes the freedom of each country to make the decisions it deems appropriate, but does not recommend the closure of borders to goods and people, the widespread disinfection, the use of masks for people who are healthy and the restriction travel within the country unless the infection is very limited.

In his appearance before the media, Chan also noted that "influenza viruses are known to be unpredictable," and noted that a pandemic is much more serious and devastating in developing countries with fewer resources.

At a press conference, the deputy secretary-general of WHO, Keiji Fukuda said that although A/H1N1 is a new pig virus, "is turning into a human influenza virus. There is no evidence that nobody has been infected pigs. "

According to WHO data, there are 114 cases of swine flu officially confirmed by laboratories: 64 in United States, 26 in Mexico, 13 in Canada, two in Israel, four in Spain, two in the United Kingdom and three in New Zealand . Of those, seven deaths in Mexico and one in the U.S., according to the organization.

First death in United States

The outbreak of swine flu has caused death early Wednesday outside of Mexico, an outbreak of the epidemic. A Mexican boy of 23 months died in Texas after his father took him to United States for medical treatment.

"The child was bad and his family took him to Southeast Texas, Houston, to be cured," said the spokesman of the department of Health in Houston, Kathy Barton, a CNN.

U.S. authorities have so far confirmed 91 cases of infection, mostly in California, New York and Texas. California on Tuesday ordered the state of emergency, while Texas has decide declared disaster zone on Wednesday.

The U.S. president, Barack Obama, said after hearing the news that the epidemic of swine flu was "worrying" and called "the most extreme precautions." Furthermore, the President has called on schools where there are suspected cases to consider "seriously" the possibility of temporarily closing the classroom.

159 suspicious deaths in Mexico

In Mexico, as reported to the authorities, cases of infection appear to be decreasing and the number of deaths amounted to 159 suspects. The Government has lowered confirmed fatal cases from 20 to just seven, by matching the data with the record of the World Health Organization (WHO). "Of the deaths that we have studied so far only seven can confirm that this is the pig virus," said general director of the Center for Epidemiological Surveillance and Disease Control of Mexico, Miguel Angel Lezana.

In total, around the world are eight countries that officially confirmed cases of swine flu: in addition to Mexico, Costa Rica, United States, Canada, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany, Israel and New Zealand.