The current WHO phase of pandemic alert is 5. Phase 5 is characterized by verified human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal influenza virus able to cause “community-level outbreaks. Phase 5 indicates a significant increase in risk of a pandemic but does not necessarily mean that a pandemic is a foregone conclusion.

 

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/avian_influenza/phase/en/index.html

 

The U.S. government is investigating the outbreak of Swine flu across several states. For more information go to http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/