Pharmaceutical companies are on standby to deliver stockpiles of antiviral drugs after the World Health Organisation (WHO) raised the influenza pandemic alert to phase four, one step away from widespread human infection occurring.
GlaxoSmithKline, which has already supplied 100,000 packs of its medication, Relenza, and 170,000 additional doses to Mexican authorities for dealing with swine flu, said it was monitoring the situation closely.
The virus is thought to have killed almost 150 people in the North American country and cases have been confirmed in the US, Canada, Britain and Spain.
According to the WHO, the phase four grading means that the likelihood of a pandemic has increased, but it is not inevitable.
"Given the widespread presence of the virus, the director-general considered that containment of the outbreak is not feasible. The current focus should be on mitigation measures," it said.
Members of the public are being urged not to panic, as the disease is yet to claim to lives of anyone outside Mexico, while the two Britons infected with the virus showed mild symptoms and are said to be recovering well in hospital.
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