How Vaccine Fears Fueled The Resurgence Of Preventable Diseases

 

For most of us, measles and whooping cough are diseases of the past. You get a few shots as a kid and then hardly think about them again. But that’s not the case in all parts of the world — not even parts of the U.S. As an interactive map from the Council on Foreign Relations illustrates, several diseases that are easily prevented with vaccines have made a comeback in the past few years. Their resurgence coincides with changes in perceptions about vaccine safety.

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Six-Phased Pandemic Alert

In the 2009 revision of the phase descriptions, WHO has retained the use of a six-phased approach for easy incorporation of new recommendations and approaches into existing national preparedness and response plans. The grouping and description of pandemic phases have been revised to make them easier to understand, more precise, and based upon observable phenomena. Continue reading

Phase 4 Alert

Phase 4 is characterized by verified human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal influenza reassortant virus able to cause “community-level outbreaks.” The ability to cause sustained disease outbreaks in a community marks a significant upwards shift in the risk for a pandemic.

Swine Flu At Phase 4

The human swine flu outbreak continues to grow in the United States and internationally. Today reports additional cases of confirmed swine influenza and a number of hospitalizations of swine flu patients. Internationally, the situation is more serious also, with additional countries reporting confirmed cases of swine flu. In response to the intensifying outbreak, pandemic alert level has been raised to Phase 4. Continue reading