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The World Health Organization (WHO) is reporting that the H1N1 virus, otherwise known as swine flu has spread internationally with unprecedented speed and as a consequence they would no longer be keeping track of cases in existing countries.
The Organization noted that in past pandemics, flu viruses have taken more than six months to spread widely. Not so in the case of swine flu, which has spread in less than six weeks.
On account of the rapid spread of the influenza virus, WHO said that it will no longer issue global tables showing the number of confirmed cases for all countries. However, the Organization plans to provide regular updates describing the situation in newly affected countries.
The Organization is urging all countries to closely monitor unusual events, such as clusters of cases of severe or fatal pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus infection, clusters of respiratory illness requiring hospitalization or unexplained or unusual clinical patterns associated with serious or fatal cases.
WHO noted that countries or states that concentrate their resources on the detection, lab confirmation and investigation of all cases, including mild illness, leave little capacity for the monitoring and investigation of severe cases and other exceptional events.
The Organization viewed the further spread of the pandemic within already affected countries and to new countries as inevitable.
Meanwhile, The Sun Newspaper is reporting that Cherie Blair, wife of former British Prime Minister, has caught the suspected swine flu virus. Mrs. Blair has cancelled a number of appointments as she fights the flu.
The Sun also reported that Mrs. Blair is the most high profile person in Britain to catch the influenza, to date. She is expected to make a full recovery.
[…] WHO noted in its statement that, this pattern for Swine flu differs from seasonal influenza where fatal […]