Swine flu round up - May 18, 2009
All Nature’s swine flu coverage is collected on our news special page. These regular updates on The Great Beyond round up the latest from other news sources around the globe.
Just when people were starting to suggest that swine flu was not that big a deal, the World Health Organization has warned the world not underestimate the dangers.
“This virus may have given us a grace period, but we do not know how long this grace period will last,” said Margaret Chan, WHO director-general. “No one can say whether this is just the calm before the storm.”
The WHO also confirmed today that there are now 8,829 cases of H1N1 infection worldwide, in 40 countries.
AP says Chile is reporting its first case of the virus and the NY Times is reporting a leap in the number of cases in Japan. Rumours that Chan might raise the pandemic alert level to six, signifying a full blown pandemic, have not come true though.
“We remain in phase 5 today,” says Chan.
In other news, American universities are beginning to allow handshakes at graduations again. "In the process of taking a look at it and discussing it, the administration determined that it would probably be okay to say we would be shaking hands," Joel Kleinsasser, spokesman for Wichita State University in Kansas, told AFP.
Image top: Getty
Map: WHO
