As the case of the spread of Swine Flu becomes more and more serious, The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised the alert level to alert level 5. WHO has taken this stand in order to ensure that the health agencies and communities become more conscious about the measures that must be undertaken to keep it under control. Health authorities all over the world have claimed that if Swine Flu goes unchecked then it might soon bloom into a pandemic.

Though the spread seems to be under control in the Mexico region, which saw the first cases of Swine flu, the disease has spread in US and in Europe. After insistent public campaigns and the death of 160 people, Mexico has been able to control the rise of new cases. However, The World Health Organization has declared that the global threat has not yet been counteracted. It is the first time that WHO has declared a phase 5 outbreak.

On the 29th of April, Margaret Chan, WHO Director General, made this declaration and also mentioned that all countries must immediately “activate their pandemic preparedness plans,” in a conference in Geneva. Phase 5 alert means that there is transmission amongst people in at least two countries. If the virus becomes effective in two different regions of the world then a complete pandemic outbreak of Phase 6 will be declared. This will mean that the whole world is faced with the attack from a new and deadly disease.

The H1N1 virus, or swine flu, was identified in Texas and California, about a week back, for the first time and since then there has been more than 100 cases in US alone. Other than the 160 deaths the Swine Flu has made 2,498 people sick across Mexico.