Influenza A / H1N1 Pandemic: The Scare of 2009

Abstract

The world was taken by surprise with the announcement of a major influenza outbreak resulting in significant mortality in Mexico in late April 2009. The intense world media attention rapidly escalated the efforts of all countries around the world to activate their own respective influenza pandemic preparedness plans. The of a new ‘re-assorted influenza virus as the source of this rapidly spreading infection fuelled fears that this was the next major influenza pandemic that the world had been warned about. The World Health Organization (WHO) promptly raised the influenza alert level from 4 to 5 on April 29th, 2009 and finally to the highest level of 6 on June 10th, 2009.