WHO warns against over-confidence as flu season begins in Southern Hemisphere; WHO says they are about to declare PHASE 6

SHOOT: South Africa is about to enter a crisis. It seems to me to be very wise to declare a Phase 6 BEFORE we start to see outbreaks here and other SH countries as we undoubtedly will. There needs to be urgent stockpiling and an urgent awareness of what is happening. Quite a lot of people still think this is a 'story-I-don't really-need-to-know-about'. In fact it may be the most important story in 2009, this century, in our lifetimes. It's VERY conceivable. Time to snap awake.

clipped from www.reuters.com MADRID/GENEVA (Reuters) - The World Health Organization is likely to raise its flu alert to the top of its six-point scale and declare a pandemic, its director-general indicated in an interview published on Monday. In remarks setting the scene for another alert increase, but without saying when, WHO chief Margaret Chan warned against over-confidence following a stabilization in the number of new cases of the H1N1 strain that has proved deadly in Mexico. "Flu viruses are very unpredictable, very deceptive ... We should not be over-confident. One must not give H1N1 the opportunity to mix with other viruses. That is why we are on alert." A declaration of a full pandemic would send a signal to governments worldwide to institute their pandemic response plans, which may include measures affecting hospitals, schools or public events.