WHO urged to adopt more flexible pandemic alert scale

GENEVA (Reuters) - Several countries called for the World Health Organization on Monday to have more flexibility in interpreting its pandemic alert scale, especially when deciding whether to declare a full pandemic.

Declaring a phase 6, the top level of alert, should reflect the severity of a new virus, not just its geographical spread, they told a high-level meeting held at the WHO's annual assembly.

The new H1N1 virus has caused 8,829 infections and 74 deaths in 40 countries, the WHO's latest tally shows.

The WHO has declared phase 5 due to widespread transmission in North America, indicating a pandemic is imminent, and could move to phase 6 if the virus spreads in a sustained way in just one other country, even in a mild form.

Switzerland's envoy said moving to phase 6 should be closely tied to the critical issue of when to switch to producing a pandemic vaccine instead of seasonal flu shots.

British health minister Alan Johnson told WHO director-general Margaret Chan, who chaired the meeting, "We have to alter and adapt in accordance to circumstances. It is my belief, Dr. Chan, that we need to give you and your team more flexibility as to whether we move to a phase 6."

"We've been explaining in our country, and others would have explained, that a pandemic describes the geographic spread rather than the severity. It's very important that that's reflected in your ability as to whether to move from 5 to 6," he said.

"So I would like to propose that you have more flexibility in that rather than follow a mechanistic process," Johnson said.

Japan's vice health minister agreed with the British minister "on flexibility for judging phase 5 to phase 6."