WHO Raises Swine Flu Pandemic Alert Level to 5

The World Health Organization has just raised its for swine flu pandemic alert level to Level 5, its second highest, signaling that a global pandemic is imminent.

Level 5, WHO's second highest level, is "characterized by human-to-human spread of the virus into at least two countries in one WHO region. While most countries will not be affected at this stage, the declaration of Phase 5 is a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent and that the time to finalize the organization, communication, and implementation of the planned mitigation measures is short."

Learn more about the pandemic alert levels here.