Flu pandemic may be unfolding: WHO

The head of the WHO does have a point here. Given the speed of global communication and the ability of people to proliferate news over the internet this may be quite a study to see how something like this spreads etc.

The question is did all the inital coverage hurt efforts or help. People were sure aware of it in the beginning but flu fatigue has set in and you get alot of "Meh". But its actually spreading faster than when we had all the coverage.

GENEVA (Reuters) – Humanity may be witnessing an influenza pandemic unfold, the head of the World Health Organization said on Monday, as Japan reported a big jump in infections with the newly-discovered H1N1 virus.

Flu fears dominated the start of the WHO's annual congress in Geneva, where many of the 40 countries touched by the flu strain urged the United Nations agency to rethink its pandemic alert scale that is now at the second-highest notch.

WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said the outbreak that began in North America and has stretched to Europe, Asia and South America needed to be tackled with seriousness even though its symptoms appear to be largely mild.

"For the first time in humanity, we are seeing, or we may be seeing, pandemic influenza evolving in front of our eyes," Chan told the World Health Assembly meeting in Geneva, where rich and poor governments discussed their drug, vaccine and other needs.
news.yahoo.com...;_ylt=AlKxnyHL1QHgko1VEvekib934T0D

bring it on, thats what i say.

this is no offense at all to your post, but i am sick fed up of hearing about what the WHO say about flu.

every other day we hear about this looming pandemic thats going to wipe us all out.

well i wish if it were true, then it would just hurry up and happen,because all this talk of it is getting really boring.

There is no cure, so just give me it so i can either die or get over it.

I don' t think it's so much Flu Fatigue but people already know what they need to know.
Hand washing, staying away from people who have colds and flu, stock piling of emergency supplies.
Worrying and stressing about it isn't going to stop the spread of it.

I'm one of quite a few who won't be taking any vaccines, so if I get it and die, then thems the breaks.

I think people have lost interest as there isn't any new information.

The Stats are interesting but unless someone in my direct suburb or street dies from it, then it seems pointless to distress myself unduly. As we all have families, work and bills to pay, that have to be done.

Most people are now aware and taking precautions, so what else is there?

[edit on 19-5-2009 by Flighty]

Yeah I know, I am tied of paranoid people fussing over flu's. If a pandemic does unfold, we have not much say in the matter!