It's a Pandemic, but don't Panic

"We are really getting close to a phase change," said Fukuda, but "we don't want people to panic if they hear we're in a pandemic situation."

SHOOT: The insight into the whole thing is this: This is an exotic virus. When the body encounters it has the potential to panic. That means it reacts almost like an allergic reaction out of control. This sort of reaction at the moment is mild. The important thing to remember is this is an evolving organism, meaning we really are at the mercy of nature here. It can change into something more virulent and deadly or it can stay the same - we just don't know. And there's not much we can do if it does.

clipped from www.time.com On Tuesday the World Health Organization (WHO) updated the numbers on the spread of the H1N1 flu: 26,563 cases in 73 countries, including a growing outbreak in Australia, where over 1,000 cases have been recorded in the state of Victoria alone. The disease is still killing people — in small numbers, with 140 deaths so far — and there have been confirmed deaths in victims who seemed perfectly healthy before the flu struck. The virus has also proven evolutionarily fit and very active, still spreading in the U.S. in the first week of June, when seasonal flu is normally a rarity. "This is a virus that appears to be evolving into a pandemic," said Keiji Fukuda, the WHO's interim director general for health, safety and the environment. Which begs the question: Aren't we already there?