Special Report:  World Tackles Swine Flu

    GENEVA, April 29 (Xinhua) -- As the swine flu situation continues to get worse, the World Health Organization (WHO)'s Emergency Committee will meet again on Wednesday to reassess the pandemic alert level, a WHO spokeswoman confirmed.

    The Emergency Committee will meet on Wednesday evening, the spokeswoman told Xinhua, adding that experts will study, among other things, the possibility to further raise the current pandemic alert level.

    Following advice from the committee, the WHO raised the alert level from Phase 3 to Phase 4 on Monday, indicating a significant increase in the risk of a pandemic.

    A further rise to Phase 5 will mean a pandemic is imminent.

    Keiji Fukuda, the WHO's interim assistant director-general for health security, will give further details about the upcoming Emergency Committee meeting in a briefing shortly, the spokeswoman said.

    Meanwhile, a scientific review was underway at the WHO on Wednesday in response to requests from the scientific community for more detailed information on swine influenza.

    Experts from the affected countries, including Mexico and the United States will provide an update on the current situation and discuss what is known about the disease from a virological, epidemiological and clinical perspective, a WHO statement said.

    A report of the review will be posted on the WHO website shortly after the meeting.