After a review of the flu outbreak that hit the world on Thursday, June 3, 2010, World Health Organization members are saying it is not over yet.
The WHO emergency committee, made of 15 external advisors, said it remained critical for countries to maintain vigilance concerning the pandemic. Necessary public health measures should still be considered for disease control and surveillance.
The H1N1 virus
The H1N1 flu, also known as “swine flu,” is a subtype of influenza A virus and was most prevalent in 2009. The virus caused a small fraction of influenza-like illness and seasonal influenza in 2004 and 2005.
In 2009, WHO had declared it a new strain of swine-origin and a pandemic across the globe. It has caused about 17,000 deaths by the start of 2010.
The systems of the virus are common to influenza: chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort.
When the WHO declared H1N1 a pandemic on June 11, 2009, it was the first global pandemic since the 1968 Hong Kong flu. On October 25, 2009, President Barack Obama officially declared H1N1 a national emergency.
A study conducted with the University of Michigan in mid-2009 warned the H1N1 flu virus could cause pulmonary embolism leading to death. It said there might be a blockage created in the main artery of the lung or its branches.
The WHO’s 2010 diagnosis
Members of the WHO are expected to continue to meet by mid-July to review the status of the outbreak once more data from the winter season in the southern hemisphere becomes available.
The panel had originally met on Tuesday, but delayed the announcement until members, from around the world, could meet via teleconference and put fix any final wording for their statement.
The group’s decision is to keep the H1N1 virus at a phase 6 on the pandemic scale. It has been at the top level of 6 since June 2009.
The virus is currently most active in parts of the Caribbean and Southeast Asia. Activity in Africa is considered low and sporadic.
Laboratory tests have confirmed there have been more than 18,000 deaths related from the H1N1 infection. However, the actual global death toll could be much higher and will take at least a year after the pandemic ends to determine that number.
The WHO has said that virus is most vulnerable to certain people including pregnant women, young children and those with respiratory problems. These people should continue to get vaccinated.
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