Impending Swine Flu H1N1 Pandemic, but WHO cares?

The World Health Organization has announced that a swine flu H1N1 pandemic is likely under way, but a formal announcement won't be made until there is "indisputable evidence".

As of today, there have been 27,737 confirmed cases of swine flu reported worldwide and 141 deaths attributed to the infection. The WHO has provided a map showing the distribution of cases worldwide.

Although the map clearly shows spread of the infection beyond the Americas and Europe, the WHO is hesitant to pull the trigger in declaring an official pandemic.

Why? Based on a press briefing yesterday with WHO, it isn't because swine flu H1N1 hasn't meet the criteria of pandemic (which it has, based on WHO guidelines). It's because they are concerned about the implications such an announcement would have on a person's psyche. We all remember that first week when swine flu was announced...

Here's what Dr. Keiji Fukuda of the WHO had to say:

"... declaration of Phase changes, the movement from one Phase to another, is not simply getting up in front of press cameras or making an announcement. It is again a way to prepare the world to deal with the situation, and so what is the situation?"

So if WHO declared a pandemic, would anyone care? Sure, people on the other side of the world who are now getting hit by H1N1 are a little panicked right now, but here in the U.S., no one seems to care.