Swine Flu and WHO’s Pandemic Scale
The swine flu (H1N1) is on everyone’s
minds these days. With constant media attention, warnings, and
emergency alerts, how can any of us avoid it? Every day there is
more information to contend with and analyze if we want to keep
ourselves and our families in the best of health-and safe from
contraction of swine flu. This said, what is the pandemic scale you
may be hearing of? What is it that makes one phase different from
another? And how are we to deal with all this new information from
health bureaus and departments if we can’t understand this scale and
what it means to our lives and families? Below, we uncover the
pandemic scale that the World Health Organization creates its global
alerts by. Depending on each phase, different factors must be in
place around the world in relation to a disease outbreak. We list
these below from low to high risk of pandemic.
 WHO's
Pandemic Scale Phase
Phase 1: There is a noticeable
virus outbreak in the world in animals only and no known infection
has happened to humans as of yet.
Phase 2: There is a noticeable
virus outbreak in the world in animals and this has caused minimal
infection in humans.
Phase 3: There is a noticeable
virus outbreak in animals that has spread to humans and there are
now regional clusters of disease-on a small scale-in humans. Human
to human transmission is not provable at this time to assume an
outbreak in humans is afoot.
Phase 4: There is a noticeable
virus outbreak in animals that has spread to humans on a larger
scale and the cause for concern over the risk of pandemic is more
so, but not necessarily widespread.
Phase 5: There is a noticeable
virus outbreak in animals and contagion to humans is now widespread-
and has occurred in more than one country.
Phase 6: There is now a global
pandemic due to at least one more community-level virus outbreak in
another country than Phase 5-so three countries must have
community-level virus outbreak for a global pandemic to be assumed.
Recommended Reading:
What is Swine Flu
(Influenza A H1N1)?
Swine Flu
and WHO's Pandemic Scale
Do I Need Mask for
Swine Flu Protection?
Symptoms
of Swine Flu - Fever, Fatigue, Diarrhea and More
Swine Flu
Prevention Tips
How Does
Swine Flu Spread?
What to Do if You
Think You Have Swine Flu
Swine Respiratory Disease -
Swine Flu in Pigs
Swine Flu
in Humans
How Many
Swine Viruses Are There?
The 1918 Spanish Flu Pandemic (new)
Swine Flu
Treatment - Tamiflu, Relenza Antiviral (new)
No Swine Flu from Eating Pork,
Safe to Eat
(new)
Cold vs Flu - Major Differences
Between Cold and Flu (new)
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