# 3314
Helen Branswell is just about everybody’s favorite flu reporter, and her rolodex (sorry, showing my age . . .PDA) must be the envy of every journalist.
She gets the stories, and the interviews, most reporters would kill for.
Today she brings us details on the controversy over the WHO’s (World Health Organization’s) delay in declaring a pandemic, with extensive comments by Michael Osterholm, director of CIDRAP.
As always, follow the link to read the article in its entirety.
WHO 'very close' to declaring a pandemic, concerned about Manitoba cases
Provided by: Canadian Press
Written by: Helen Branswell, Medical Reporter, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Jun. 9, 2009
TORONTO - The World Health Organization is very close to declaring the first influenza pandemic since 1968, the agency's senior influenza expert suggested Tuesday.
Dr. Keiji Fukuda all but acknowledged that a swine flu pandemic is underway, saying the WHO is aware there is "a great deal" of community spread of the virus in at least one part of Australia - a fact which under the WHO's definition should trigger a pandemic call.
He also said the WHO is concerned about reports of severe illness among First Nations people in Manitoba, noting that in previous pandemics such populations have been hit particularly hard.
The Geneva-based organization is facing criticism for its apparent slowness to declare a pandemic in the face of mounting evidence that the new H1N1 virus is spreading widely around the world. As of Tuesday, there were 26,563 confirmed cases in 73 countries and 140 deaths.
"I believe that WHO is very close to going over the scientific credibility cliff, from which it will be hard to get back up out of that gorge if they hit the bottom," declared Dr. Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Diseases Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota.
