1 Geneva The new head of the World Health Organization, Margaret Chan, has called for continued vigilance against the threat of a human influenza pandemic and has urged all 193 member states to step up their preparedness efforts. Shortly after taking over as director general on 4 January, Dr Chan told reporters that in the past 15 months the number of countries with a pandemic preparedness plan in place had risen from about 50 to 170 and was still increasing. But she warned, "The risk is there. We should not let our guard down." The plans, which are drawn up by countries according to WHO criteria, may include guidelines on situation monitoring and assessment, changes to public health approaches, formulation of social distancing policies, and how to build antiviral stockpiles and acquire vaccines. Dr Chan believes the new and...
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