Word: alerted
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...decision to raise the pandemic alert to Phase 6, the highest level, was based on specific criteria, most significantly that the disease is now widespread, sustaining transmission in more than two regions around the world - including the Americas (Mexico and the U.S., which have so far borne the greatest brunt of the new flu) and Australia, where cases have risen sharply. The latest data show there are nearly 30,000 cases in 74 countries, with 144 confirmed deaths. (See the top 5 swine...
Although the pandemic alert is a formal sounding of the alarm for H1N1, it does not reflect any increase in the severity of illness. The alert criteria drawn up by the WHO specifically include transmissibility of a new virus but not severity, since it is difficult to gauge accurately the deadliness of a newly emerging infection in real time. "The declaration of a pandemic does not suggest that there has been any change in the behavior of the virus," said Dr. Thomas Frieden in his first press conference as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...
Raising the pandemic alert is only a reminder that despite our best efforts to prevent or detect new diseases early, simple vigilance is the best defense against something as unpredictable as influenza. "We have a head start," Chan said. "But like all influenza viruses, this one can change the rules...
...says that it still respects the science, but is mindful of the public reaction to the pandemic-alert phases - perhaps even more so after the global media went into spasms after the level rose to 5 on April 29. There are, of course, real dangers to a panicked reaction, beyond the assault of tabloid headlines. When people panic about a new disease, they start flooding the hospitals even when there's nothing wrong with them - a phenomenon carried out by the "worried well." They suck up limited resources from patients who are really sick from the virus - or are sick...
...delve into the details of why owls may perform worse in school, but Peszka suspects it may boil down to "an owl living a lark's schedule." Students with late bedtimes still end up taking early morning classes, which means they often end up feeling sleepier and less alert during the day. In fact, in Peszka's study, night owls slept 41 minutes less each night than the other students, but were still attending early classes, during which they reported sleepiness and inability to concentrate, which, unsurprisingly, led to lower scores at exam time...