New virus could still mutate, spark pandemic: WHO

New virus could still mutate, spark pandemic: WHO:

"Stephanie Nebehay
Reuters
Tuesday, May 12, 2009

The new H1N1 flu virus could still mutate into a more virulent form and spark an influenza pandemic that could be expected to circle the globe up to three times, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday.

The impact of any pandemic would vary, as a virus that causes only mild illness in countries with strong health systems can become “devastating” in those with weak health systems, shortages of drugs and poorly equipped hospitals, it said.

The new virus, commonly referred to as swine flu, “appears to be more contagious than seasonal influenza” and nearly the world’s whole population lacks immunity to the new disease, the WHO said in a document issued overnight entitled “Assessing the severity of an influenza pandemic.”"