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Dozens of countries urged the World Health Organization to change its criteria for declaring a pandemic
GENEVA – Dozens of countries urged the World Health Organization to change its criteria for declaring a pandemic, saying the agency must consider how deadly a virus is — not just how far it spreads across the globe.
Fearing a swine flu pandemic declaration could spark mass panic and economic devastation, Britain, Japan, China and others asked the global body on Monday to tread carefully before raising its alert. Some cited the costly and potentially risky consequences, such as switching from seasonal to pandemic vaccine, even though the virus so far appears to be mild.
Although no formal changes were made Monday, WHO said it would listen to its members' requests.
"It's certainly something we will look at very closely," said Dr. Keiji Fukuda, WHO's flu chief.
The alert for swine flu is now at phase 5, which means the virus is spreading unchecked inside at least two countries in a single region. Under the existing rules, phase 6 indicates outbreaks in at least two different regions of the world and that a pandemic is under way.
"We need to give you and your team more flexibility as to whether we move to phase 6," Britain's Health Secretary Alan Johnson told WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan, a public health veteran who has made combatting the outbreak her top priority since the new virus appeared in North America last month.
Chan warned that swine flu could pose a grave threat to humanity even though the fatality rate is low, with 76 known deaths out of 8,829 confirmed cases in 40 countries. That total does not include Greece, which reported its first confirmed case on Monday.
"This virus may have given us a grace period, but we do not know how long this grace period will last," Chan said. "No one can say whether this is just the calm before the storm."
Japan reported the largest jump from just four cases over the weekend to more than 170 cases, health officials said Tuesday. Most involved teenagers who had not traveled overseas.
Spain and Britain have the highest numbers of cases in Europe, reporting 103 and 101 cases, respectively.
A pandemic announcement would likely have severe economic consequences: It could trigger expensive trade and travel restrictions such as border closures, airport screenings and quarantines.
Governments also fear mass panic, social disruption and overwhelmed health systems. Extraordinary measures such as large-scale pig slaughters like the recent one in Egypt could be taken, even if they aren't scientifically justified.
Mexico, which has suffered the most deaths and virtually shut down its economy for several days in response to the outbreak, urged WHO to reconsider its pandemic scale.
"People don't understand what 4, 5 or 6 means," Mexico's Health Minister Jose Angel Cordova told reporters. "They think that when you go to a higher level things are worse."
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told The Associated Press she wanted more information on the proposal before taking a position, but she was impressed how many countries supported it. Still, in a speech to the assembly she noted that each day 26,000 children will die from poverty and preventable diseases. Swine flu is a long way from causing that kind of devastation.
So far the virus appears to be mild, though scientists are concerned that many of the more severe symptoms have turned up in younger people, especially in Mexico. Flu is normally most dangerous to babies and the elderly.
WHO chief Chan noted that the disease could combine with other flu strains, including the lethal H5N1 bird flu virus which hasn't spread much among humans.
The signal for starting pandemic vaccine production has yet to be given, but it is essential that countries use their stockpiles of drugs wisely, she said. WHO has said two anti-viral drugs, Tamiflu and Relenza, have been effective against the new swine flu.
"It is absolutely essential that countries do not squander these precious resources through poorly targeted measures," Chan said.
Chan and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon are scheduled to meet with senior representatives of pharmaceutical companies Tuesday to discuss the vaccine question. The U.N. declined to name the companies but major vaccine producers include Sanofi-Aventis, GlaxoSmithKline and Baxter International.
Key issues include: how soon can a pandemic vaccine be produced, and how much of it will be available to each country. Many governments, including Britain, have already signed large advance orders, potentially depriving poorer countries of a chance to buy their own stock.
