It is official: the influenza A epidemic , which appeared last April in the American continent, has become a pandemic . This has been decided by the World Health Organization (WHO) after about 29,000 people from 74 different countries have been infected. The director of the WHO, Margaret Chan, assures that the declaration of pandemic should not unleash panic, since it has not been due to "a sudden jump in gravity" and the mortality caused by the H1N1 virus continues to be low (only has claimed 14 deaths, most in Mexico, the epicenter of the new flu).
Experts estimate that this pandemic, the first in the 21st century, could last one or two years. The vaccine is expected to be available from September, although according to Chan "even then the supply will be limited and we will have to see which countries will receive it."
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