WHO to review status of flu pandemic Tuesday
31 May 2010 | 
Author: Professor |
CTV News 31 May, 2010
While it might seem a distant memory to many Canadians, the World Health Organization has yet to declare whether the H1N1 flu pandemic has ended. That decision could come Tuesday.
The expert panel that advises the WHO on pandemics will hold a teleconference Tuesday to make its decision on the matter. The committee is considering three main options:
- Decide that the pandemic is still in force and retain the current phase 6 rating on the WHO's 6-level pandemic scale
- State that the pandemic had moved into a transitional "post-peak" phase
- Declare the pandemic over
WHO experts have said the present outbreak is still severe in some parts of the world. It's currently most active in parts of the Caribbean and Southeast Asia, with some activity in parts of Chile.
The agency has said it remains worried about how easily the virus transmits from person to person and whether it could become more dangerous if it were to mutate into a more lethal form.
The committee of pandemic experts has reportedly been waiting for the onset of winter in the southern hemisphere before issuing its recommendation.
The WHO's guidance on whether H1N1 still constitutes a pandemic will determine how its 193 member countries handle the outbreak, including stockpiling vaccines and antiviral medications.
The body has been accused of exaggerating the dangers of the outbreak, which was declared a full pandemic in June 2009. Many have complained that symptoms suffered by most people infected by the virus have been mild.
Bu the WHO says that over 18,000 deaths have been confirmed as being caused by H1N1, and that the real death toll is likely much higher. Most of those who died were young, with an average age of 37. That compares to 75, the average age of death for those infected with seasonal flu.
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