Following our report early this morning [1], Health Officials have confirmed that the World Health Organisation has now officially declared the current swine flu outbreak a pandemic, which is a full-scale global epidemic.
The WHO is expected to make a full statement shortly
This WHO announcement means that all countries will now be immediately activating their pandemic plans.
The last global pandemic occurred 41 years ago in 1968, 1 million people perished during the course of this global epidemic.
The 1918 Spanish Influenza pandemic was by far the worst ever recorded and all the modern pandemics are now measured against it. Estimates have shown that between 20 and 40% of the worldwide population were affected at the time. Well over 50 million people died during the pandemic which lasted from March 1918 to June 1920. At that time the Spanish flu pandemic even spread to the Artic and remote Pacific Islands.
Although the virus has caused relatively mild, cold-like symptoms with headaches and vomiting and has only caused 141 confirmed deaths so far, health officials will be closely monitoring the situation to see whether the virus develops the capacity to mutate or cause more severe illness.