On 11-Jun-2009, The WHO declared a global flu pandemic after holding an emergency meeting in Geneva. Given the efficiency of the H1N1 virus spreading around the world, and the definition of the WHO pandemic scale of classification, it came as a no surprise.
It means the flu virus is spreading in at least two regions of the world with rising cases being seen in the UK, Australia, Japan and Chile (see the world map for the countries affected).
WHO Chief Dr Margaret Chan said "Moving to pandemic phase six does not imply we will see increased in deaths or serious cases." The move did not mean the virus was causing more severe illness or more deaths. The flu (H1N1) virus first emerged in Mexico in April and has since spread to 74 countries. It is the first flu pandemic in 40 years - the last in 1968 killed about one million people.
However, the current pandemic seems to be moderate and causing mild illness in most people. The picture could change very quickly as the virus mutate constantly and in case it mutates to something more virulent, especially now that the southern hemisphere was entering the flu season.
One factor which has prompted the move to a level six pandemic was that in the southern hemisphere, the virus seems to be crowding out normal seasonal influenza. As of 29-Jun-09, WHO reported 70,893 confirmed cases of H1N1 infections with 311 deaths.
In Singapore, the cases have been climbing steadily and community spread has taken place. It’s anticipated that psychological 1,000th confirmed case will be reported soon. The alert level remains at yellow but the MOH is changing the strategy from containment to mitigation the impact. It’s quite obvious however that situations like this serves as most opportune time to remind everyone about personal hygiene, social responsibilities and heightened preparedness to fight against this biological enemy. As pharmacists, we should continue to advocate personal hygiene, encourage the public to observe healthy lifestyle, advise the public about proper use of PPE, disinfectants, supplements, drugs, health promotion; temperature monitoring etc.
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