Free Republic

The World Health Organization increased its pandemic flu alert level Wednesday to Phase 5 — its second-highest level and a further indication that WHO scientists are seeing human-to-human spread of the virus in at least two countries. The announcement was made at a WHO news conference Wednesday in Geneva. There are numerous cases of human-to-human transmission in both Mexico and the United States. However, the WHO has until now hesitated to make the leap to Phase 5 because the cases of transmission in the United States are within tight-knit groups. "It really is all of humanity that is under threat...

@BreakingNews: BULLETIN -- WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION TO MAKE ANNOUNCEMENT IN 20 MINUTES; EXPECTED TO DECLARE PANDEMIC EMERGENCY.

The World Health Organisation tonight raised the pandemic alert level to five out of six after the continued spread of swine flu world wide. Margaret Chan, the organisation's director-general, said tonight: "I have decided to raise the current level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 4 to phase 5. "Influenza pandemics must be taken seriously precisely because of their capacity to spread rapidly to every country in the world." Making a call to governments, she said: "This change to a higher phase of alert is a signal to governments, to ministries of health and other industries, to the pharmaceutical industry...

Not her best competitive year, but good enough to move on to level 6 this year..