April 30 The world is on the verge of the first influenza pandemic since 1968 after a new swine flu took root in Mexico, the U.S. and seven other countries.

The World Health Organization raised its six-tier alert to 5, the second-highest, and said a pandemic declaration may come soon. It urged countries to make final preparations to deal with a virus that may sweep across the globe.

Mexico, where the toll is highest, said 159 people may have died from the flu, with seven confirmed by laboratory tests. Ninety-four cases were reported in 11 U.S. states, and New York City officials said they suspected hundreds were infected. French Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot told reporters she would ask European transport ministers to suspend flights to Mexico. Egypt ordered the slaughter of as many as 400,000 pigs.

"It is all of humanity that is under threat during a pandemic," said Margaret Chan, WHO director-general, at a news conference yesterday in Geneva. "The biggest question right now is this: How severe will the pandemic be? All countries should immediately now activate their pandemic plans."

Batches of seed virus are being developed for potential vaccine production, the WHO said. Paris-based Sanofi-Aventis SA, Baxter International Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline Plc are planning with world health authorities how to produce a vaccine.

Vaccine Makers ‘Alert'

"Manufacturers are on the alert," said U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius at a news conference in Washington yesterday. Once the testing protocol is done and the dosage protocol is done they are ready to begin production, should that be necessary.''

Baxter will receive a sample of the swine flu virus "in the next couple days," said Chris Bona, a spokesman for the Deerfield, Illinois, company, in a phone interview yesterday.

"We are in constant discussions with the government about how and if we should go ahead," said Donna Cary, a spokeswoman for Sanofi's Sanofi-Pasteur unit in Swiftwater, Pennsylvania, in an interview yesterday. London-based Glaxo and Novartis AG of Basel, Switzerland, also are talking with health regulators, said spokesmen for the companies.

President Barack Obama asked Congress for $1.5 billion to battle an outbreak, and said parents should plan for school closings. Texas Governor Rick Perry declared a disaster, a "preemptive" measure to facilitate emergency preparations and seek federal reimbursement. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency.

Pork is Safe

Swine flu infections in people aren't related to exposure to the animals, and properly prepared pork is safe to eat, said Keiji Fukuda, WHO assistant director-general for health security and environment. The disease, spreading like the seasonal flu, is "unlikely" to stop, Fukuda said.

"It's clear that deaths and serious illnesses can occur in other countries, but more are occurring in Mexico," Fukuda told reporters yesterday in Geneva. "We don't know the reason for that right now." The genetic strains around the world that have been tested are "remarkably consistent and remarkably similar to each other," he said.

Scientists are trying to determine why swine flu, a respiratory disease caused by a type-A influenza virus, has been more severe in Mexico. The new flu results in symptoms similar to those of seasonal influenza, including fever, lethargy and coughing, and may also cause nausea and vomiting, according to the CDC. It appears to be causing more diarrhea than seasonal flu, WHO said.

Hospitalizations and Deaths

The U.S. can expect more hospitalizations and deaths, Sebelius said yesterday in her first press conference after being confirmed secretary of Health and Human Services. Hand- washing and hygiene are among the most effective ways to control the outbreak, she said.

The first death in U.S. was a 22-month-old boy from Mexico City who was brought to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston last weekend and died April 27, the state health department said yesterday in a statement. The boy had "several underlying health problems," the statement said.

A Marine is recovering after being tested for the illness, and another 37 Marines are being "watched and tested" at a base in 29 Palms, California, Marine Corps Commandant General James Conway told reporters at the Pentagon yesterday. The base, with 15,000 personnel, is located in the desert east of Los Angeles.

"We need to maintain a level of calmness so we will continue to manage this in a rational manner," WHO's Chan said. "Influenza viruses are notorious for rapid mutation and unpredictable behavior."

Twice Raised

WHO raised its global pandemic alert twice this week. It's the first time the warning has been raised above a 3 since the six-step system was adopted in 2005. It had been at level 3 since 2007, when it was elevated for an outbreak of avian flu.

A stage 5 warning is "a strong signal that a pandemic is imminent" with little time left for preparation, according to the WHO Web site. It's based on the determination that the disease is established in communities in two countries in the same WHO region. A pandemic, rated 6 on WHO's alert system is an unexpected outbreak of a new contagious disease that spreads from person to person across multiple borders. In such cases, almost no one has natural immunity.

"We think that we are in the process of moving toward" phase 6, Fukuda said. "I think at this point it is possible that we will move to seeing established transmission in other countries relatively quickly."

Stage Six

"We have been preparing all along as if this is going to stage 6," Janet Napolitano, U.S. Homeland Security secretary, said yesterday at a news conference in Washington. "Our preparations are for a situation in which this does become a full-fledged pandemic."

Athletic, academic and music competitions were canceled for more than 1 million students in Texas until May 11, according to the Texas University Interscholastic League, the largest inter- school organization of its kind in the world.

The New York cases originated from students at St. Francis Preparatory School in Queens. A group from the Roman Catholic school returned recently from a trip to Cancun, health officials said. New York accounts for at least 51 confirmed cases, U.S. officials said.

At P.S. 177, a public school for autistic children in New York near St. Francis in Queens, 82 students have called in sick and, and six students are being tested at Ascension school in Manhattan's Upper West Side, Mayor Michael Bloomberg told reporters April 28.

Bloomberg said most family and staff suspected of having the flu haven't been tested, and estimated hundreds of people may be infected.

Mexico Restaurants

The outbreak in Mexico City prompted the local government to order a halt to dining service at all 35,000 restaurants. U.S. officials recommended that nonessential travel to Mexico be avoided and the European Union told travelers to avoid outbreak areas. Malaysia yesterday asked the WHO to ban outbound travel from Mexico by people who are ill.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid urged calm. He said a vaccine will probably be developed by the time next flu season starts in North America.

If a vaccine is needed, "the goal is to have one ready by September," said U.S. Representative Peter King, a New York Republican.

An experimental vaccine for swine flu may be tested in people within a couple of months, according to Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Reference strains for the virus have been distributed and a pre-planned development process is under way, Fauci said at a press conference today in Washington.

Seasonal Flu

Production of influenza vaccine for seasonal outbreaks, which U.S. health officials have said is ineffective against the new flu, should continue, Fukuda said.

Japan suspended visa-free entry for Mexican nationals. Countries including Australia, Singapore and South Korea are screening air passengers, and Taiwan advised against visiting Mexico.

Australia is testing 112 people for swine flu, and 90 airline passengers showing flu symptoms have been detained through medical checks for further tests. Authorities are searching for 15 people who were on a plane from Mexico two days ago with New Zealanders who have been affected, Health Minister Nicola Roxon said.

South Korea Imports

South Korea will suspend imports of live hogs from North America starting today, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said. Indonesia said April 27 it will destroy all imported pork and swine products and fumigate agricultural goods bought from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico as a precaution.

China, the world's top pork consumer, banned imports of swine products from Mexico and parts of the U.S.

WHO isn't recommending travel restrictions.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration signed emergency authorizations April 27 that will permit the CDC to use an unapproved lab test for swine flu and more dosing options than currently recommended for influenza treatments Tamiflu, sold by Swiss drugmaker Roche Holding AG, and Relenza, from Glaxo