UP Ibalon Bicol: WHO declares H1N1 flu a pandemic; RP’s cases rise to 92

WHO declares H1N1 flu a pandemic; RP’s cases rise to 92

6/12/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post

After weeks of weighing in the right time to declare a pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) finally ruled on Thursday, June 11, 2009 that the swine flu which caused illness and death to 27,737 and 141 people respectively, had reached pandemic level. It’s the first pandemic to be categorized in more than 40 years.

The new viral infection which has spread to 74 countries usually manifests as a mild illness and uncommonly cause death. Health authorities however emphasize the need for prevention and more caution. The virus is highly transmissible and quite unpredictable. It has a potential to transform and grow in virulence as it affects different populations of the world.

The decision to raise the disease to level 6 underscores the need for vigilance, prevention and control by various governments. The pandemic will spur the production of vaccines and drugs to fight the disease. It will require more money to keep the illness under control.

The raising the alert to the highest level coincides with the increase of cases in the Philippines to about 100, the highest number of those sickened so far by the swine infection in Southeast Asia. With the unpredictability the infection, one can just hope that the effort by the health authorities will lessen the incidence, mortality and morbidity of the pandemic in the country.

What is a pandemic?

A pandemic is a new infectious disease that spreads around the world.

The best recent example of a pandemic is AIDS, caused by a virus new to humans: HIV.

Seasonal flu viruses spread around the globe and cause 250,000 to 500,000 deaths each year -- including some 36,000 annual deaths in the U.S. But seasonal flu isn't considered a pandemic, even though the viruses that cause them change a little from season to season.

One of the seasonal flu viruses is a type A H1N1 virus. But the type H1N1 swine flu virus that appeared in 2009 is an entirely different virus. It carries genes from swine flu viruses from North America and Eurasia as well as genes from human and bird flu viruses.

Humans have never before been infected with this virus. That means that nobody is immune, although some people born before 1957 may have been exposed to an ancestor virus that could possibly give them a small degree of protection.

Because the vast majority of people are vulnerable to the 2009 H1N1 swine flu virus, because it spreads easily from person to person, and because the virus is spreading in communities in different parts of the world, the current swine flu has reached pandemic proportions.

Flu pandemics occur regularly. That's because there are many kinds of flu viruses in animals (mostly birds), but so far only a few have evolved the ability to infect humans. There were three flu pandemics in the 20th century: in 1918, in 1957, and in 1968. Source: WebMD (06/11/09, Daniel J. DeNoon; Louise Chang, MD)

What is WHO doing to respond?

"WHO continues to help all countries respond to the situation. The world cannot let down its guard and WHO must help the world remain and become better prepared.
WHO's support to countries takes three main forms: technical guidance, materials support, and training of health care system personnel.

WHO's primary concern is to strengthen and support health systems in countries with less resources. Health systems need to be able to prevent, detect, treat and mitigate cases of illness associated with this virus.

WHO is also working to make stocks of medicines (such as antivirals and antibiotics) and an eventual pandemic vaccine more accessible and affordable to developing countries.

Both antivirals and vaccines have important roles in treatment and prevention respectively. However, existing stocks of antivirals are unlikely to meet the demand. And vaccines may be developed, but it will some months.

Therefore, rational use of the limited resources will be essential. And medicines are only part of the response. WHO is also deploying diagnostic kits, medicines and masks and gloves for health care settings, teams of scientific experts, and medical technicians so countries in need can respond to local epidemics.

A pandemic sets national authorities in motion to implement preparedness plans, identify cases as efficiently as possible, and minimize serious illness and deaths with proper treatment.

The goal is to reduce the impact of the pandemic on society."---Source: www.who.int (Photo Credit: Amanda Ruth) =0=

RELATED BLOG: "Mitigation versus containment in the fight against the H1N1 flu" Posted by mesiamd at 6/09/2009

UDATE: June 14, 2009. Surveillance of H1n1 cases in the Philippines added more cases to the previous count---now totalling to 111 cases after a few grade school students in Nueva Ecija tested positive to the swine flu infection. =0=

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Labels: diseases, epidemic, Flu, H1N1 virus, Health, Influenza, Medicine, morbidity, mortality, pandemic, Swine flu, Totie Mesia, update, WHO

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WHO declares H1N1 flu a pandemic; RP’s cases rise to 92

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