H1N1 flu pandemic is the fastest-moving pandemic ever, and "it's pointless counting cases"

But countries should track deaths, unusual patterns.

Experts warn that during a global epidemic, which the world is in now, governments may be under tremendous pressure to protect their own citizens first before allowing companies to ship doses of vaccine out of the country.

That does not bode well for many nations, including the United States, which makes only 20 percent of the regular flu vaccines it uses, or Britain, where all of its flu vaccines are produced abroad.

SHOOT: Panic is inevitable, which is whatI've been saying. And we need to prepare for that.

clipped from www.who.int The 2009 influenza pandemic has spread internationally with unprecedented speed. In past pandemics, influenza viruses have needed more than six months to spread as widely as the new H1N1 virus has spread in less than six weeks. Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 briefing note 3 Other potential signals of change in the currently prevailing pattern include unexpected, unusual or notable changes in patterns of transmission. Signals to be vigilant for include spikes in rates of absenteeism from schools or workplaces, or a more severe disease pattern, as suggested by, for example, a surge in emergency department visits. clipped from www.reuters.com Flu experts say at least a million people are infected in the United States alone, and the WHO says the pandemic is unstoppable. The WHO will no longer issue global tables showing the numbers of confirmed cases for all countries -- which stood at 94,512 cases with 429 deaths as of its last update on July 6.