Spread of H1N1 virus is now a pandemic: World Health Organization

The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised the level of pandemic alert from Phase 5 to Phase 6 after scientific criteria for an influenza pandemic were met.
“The world is now at the start of the 2009 influenza pandemic,” Margaret Chan, director-general of the WHO, said in a statement.
She noted that the H1N1 strain of the virus is contagious and is spread easily from one person to another and from one country to another.
As of Jun. 10, there were 2,978 laboratory-confirmed cases in Canada, with 533 of those reported as of Jun. 8. In total there have been 138 hospitalizations and four deaths in Canada related to H1N1, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Ontario has the highest number of lab-confirmed cases at 1,562, followed by Quebec with 611. There are no lab-confirmed cases in Newfoundland.
Worldwide there have been almost 30,000 confirmed cases and 144 deaths in 74 countries, according to the WHO.
In light of the recent upgrade to a level 6, Marsh is advising organizations to continue to address potential health and social consequences of the pandemic, in addition to increasing surveillance of pandemic clusters that could affect markets, operations or suppliers.
Furthermore, companies should update their continuity plans, including ensuring an understanding of how the company might be affected by the pandemic, Marsh says.