Breaking News from the WHO via SkyNews:
In a statement to member countries, the WHO said it decided to raise the pandemic alert level from phase five to six, meaning that a global outbreak of swine flu has begun.
The decision was made after the UN health agency held an emergency meeting on swine flu with its experts.
It is the first global pandemic for 41 years. The virus first emerged in Mexico in April and has now spread to 74 countries with a reported 27,000 cases and 141 deaths.
Moving to phase six will trigger a large scale production of vaccines and prompt governments to devote more money towards efforts to contain the virus.
It will also raise questions about why the step was delayed for weeks as the virus continued to spread.
In a statement to member countries, the WHO said it decided to raise the pandemic alert level from phase five to six, meaning that a global outbreak of swine flu has begun.
The decision was made after the UN health agency held an emergency meeting on swine flu with its experts.
It is the first global pandemic for 41 years. The virus first emerged in Mexico in April and has now spread to 74 countries with a reported 27,000 cases and 141 deaths.
Moving to phase six will trigger a large scale production of vaccines and prompt governments to devote more money towards efforts to contain the virus.
It will also raise questions about why the step was delayed for weeks as the virus continued to spread.
