| | What are pandemic alert phases and what phase are we in?
Category: Pandemic Influenza Questions
Answer:The World Health Organization (WHO) developed an alert system (http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/phase/en/index.html) to help inform the world about the seriousness of a pandemic. The alert system has six phases, with Phase 1 having the lowest risk of human cases and Phase 6 posing the greatest risk of pandemic. The world is presently in Phase 3 of the Pandemic Alert. This means that there is a new influenza virus subtype causing disease in humans, but is not yet spreading in an efficient (easily transmittable) and sustainable manner among humans. WHO Alert Phases:
| Phase | Description | | 1 | Low risk of human cases | | 2 | Higher risk of human cases | | 3 | No or very limited human-to-human transmission | | 4 | Evidence of increased human-to-human transmission | | 5 | Evidence of significant human-to-human transmission | | 6 | Efficient and sustained human-to-human transmission |
Related Questions
Last Updated: 03/21/2008
|
|
|
|
