By DPA,
Geneva : World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan raised the pandemic influenza alert one level to phase 5 Wednesday night in Geneva in light of developments in the swine flu outbreak.
Chan said all countries should activate pandemic flu plans and called on them to be on high alert for influenza-like illnesses and pneumonia.
She also called on pharmaceutical companies to take “certain actions” with urgency and at an accelerated pace.
Phase 5 indicates “human-to-human transmission in a sustainable manner causing community spread.”
Chan said: “We are seeing this in Mexico, and as information emerges in the US we are also seeing that.”
On Monday the UN agency raised the level from phase 3 to phase 4.