# 3071
Among science reporters, particularly those on the influenza beat, it is hard to beat Helen Branswell of the Canadian Press.
She consistently writes clear, concise, and informative articles making difficult subjects easy to comprehend. She obviously has a rolodex (oops, showing my age) . . .err, PDA filled with contacts that most reporters would kill for.
Today she gives us the back story behind the WHO’s decision to move to pandemic phase level 4.
As she tells us, level 5 was on the table.
I’ve just posted the opening to her article. As always, it is worth following the link to read her reporting in its entirety.
WHO raises alert level to Phase 4
By HELEN BRANSWELL The Canadian Press
Mon. Apr 27 - 8:11 PMTORONTO — The World Health Organization said Monday it still does not characterize a swine flu pandemic as inevitable, but raised its pandemic alert level to signal the increasing severity of the situation.
It also urged countries not to close borders or impose travel bans, saying such measures would be unlikely to stop spread of the virus and would cause economic harm.
But a number of countries had already taken actions, urging their citizens to avoid non-essential travel to places in the world where infections have been found. Canada, one of the affected countries, signalled it would warn Canadians against non-essential travel to Mexico, the country hardest hit by the swine flu outbreak.
