What is phase 4?
Phase 4 is characterized by verified human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus able to cause “community-level outbreaks.” The ability to cause sustained disease outbreaks in a community marks a significant upwards shift in the risk for a pandemic. Any country that suspects or has verified such an event should urgently consult with WHO so that the situation can be jointly assessed and a decision made by the affected country if implementation of a rapid pandemic containment operation is warranted. Phase 4 indicates a significant increase in risk of a pandemic but does not necessarily mean that a pandemic is a forgone conclusion
While phase 4 indicates a significant increase of risk of pandemic we must all wait and see if it hits phase 5-6. It will be classified as a pandemic when it and if it hits phase 6.
Phase 5 is characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short.
Phase 6, the pandemic phase, is characterized by community level outbreaks in at least one other country in a different WHO region in addition to the criteria defined in Phase 5. Designation of this phase will indicate that a global pandemic is under way
Again, people should not flip out but use some common sense. Stay safe all.
2 comments:
I commented on an earlier entry that this does seem to have become less virulent as it travels around, and that's good news.
YES, WHO has not suggested travel restrictions as of today. They're still assessing the situation. Again, much of their latest advice is common sense.
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