It's Official: We're in a Flu Pandemic

WHO Declares First Global Flu Pandemic in 41 Years

For the past several years we've been subjected to the warning ads in various media - radio, television, and print - that the world is overdue for a flu pandemic and that one is sure to be coming soon. The day has finally arrived. On Thursday the World Health Organization declared a swine flu pandemic, the first global flu epidemic in 41 years.

Infections around the globe, including the United States, Europe, South America, and Australia, have now climbed to nearly 30,000 cases.

The announcement of the pandemic is official scientific confirmation that a new flu virus has emerged and is quickly making its rounds globally. Now that the WHO has upgraded the situation to pandemic levels, they will begin asking drugmakers to speed up the production of a swine flu vaccine. The declaration should also prompt governments to devote additional funds towards efforts to contain the virus.

Dr. Margaret Chan made the announcement Thursday following an emergency meeting with flu experts. Chan indicated that the WHO would be moving the world up to the agency's highest alert level - phase 6. Phase 6 means that a pandemic, or global epidemic, is already under way.

As of Wednesday, WHO reported 74 countries had reported 27,737 cases of swine flu and 141 deaths. This virus itself has been described as "moderate", and most cases are mild and require no treatment. However there is fear that a string of new infections could overwhelm hospitals and health authorities.

Speaking with reporters, Chan said:

"The world is moving into the early days of its first influenza pandemic in the 21st century. The (swine flu) virus is now unstoppable."

What has WHO concerned is that half of those who have died from the H1N1 virus were previously young and healthy - people who are not typically susceptible to the flu virus. The swine flu virus is also crowding out regular flu viruses , another feature typical of pandemic flu viruses. Even more worrisome is the fact that in the northern hemisphere where summer is just beginning, the swine flu is continuing to spread. Flu viruses usually disappear with warm weather, but the H1N1 virus is proving to be especially resilient.

The last flu pandemic was in 1968, the Hong Kong flu. It killed about 1 million people around the world. The typical ordinary flu kills about 250,000 to 500,000 people per year.

Drug manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline PLC has said that they can begin large-scale production of pandemic vaccine in July, however it would take several months before large quantities would actually be available.

Many are concerned that the virus could begin to spread even more rapidly once the traditional flu season begins in November or December.