SYDNEY—Swine flu is now officially a global pandemic but Australian experts say it's no indication the virus poses a greater threat.
The World Health Organisation has raised its alert level for the A(H1N1) virus to phase six, making the swine flu outbreak the world's first influenza pandemic in 40 years.
The declaration, driven in part by its rapid community-level spread within Australia, tells health authorities to review their containment efforts.
The government has opted to not escalate Australia's response to the virus, which experts agree is continuing to have only a "mild" effect on those who contract it.
"Declaring this a pandemic is a reflection of the global distribution," said Professor Chris Burrell, Emeritus Professor of Virology at the University of Adelaide.
"It says nothing about the severity of it.
"There still has not been any suggestion that it is becoming more severe and the vast majority of infections have not needed to go to hospital, and have not been particularly unwell at all."
Professor Adrian Sleigh, from the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at the Australian National University, said the the virus had so far proven to be "no more serious than normal seasonal flu".
"In the past, other pandemic flu viruses have been more serious than the seasonal variants they replaced," Prof Sleigh said.
"It is too early to say this won't happen again ... but so far this pandemic strain has been mild in its effects."
The World Health Organisation's (WHO) criteria for declaring swine flu a global pandemic included evidence of sustained community transmission in one country outside the region where it originated.
Professor Raina MacIntyre, Professor of Infectious Diseases Epidemiology and Head of the School of Public Health and Community Medicine at the University of NSW, said this criteria had been met "for a while".
While swine flu had proven to be "not as severe as initially feared" when first detected in Mexico, it still had the potential to cause major disruption in Australia.
"A pandemic could potentially cause large scale absenteeism affecting services such as health, security, water supply, garbage removal, power and transport," Prof MacIntyre said.
"It is possible that many consumer products and services may be in short supply because the people normally involved in providing them will be unable to work."
Australia's swine flu tally now stands at more than 1,300 after community-level spread was first detected on May 22.
The majority of cases have occurred in Victoria, where four people with swine flu have required intensive hospital care. But authorities have stressed the four cases involved people with other underlying health issues.
For most, swine flu has felt like an ordinary bought of seasonal flu. However, authorities remain concerned because of its potential to infect many more people.
A swine flu vaccine is expected to be available in Australia as early as August or September.
Seasonal flu still claims about 2,500 lives across Australia every winter among at-risk groups - those with chronic health conditions, the young or old, pregnant women and those on immunosuppressive drugs.
Professor Nikolai Petrovsky, a research director attached to Adelaide's Flinders Medical Centre, said each of the seasonal influenza strains (H1, H3 and B) that hit Australia each winter started off as pandemics.
He said it was "almost certain" swine flu would now join them as an "indefinitely circulating" seasonal flu.
"... which will inevitably return to cause further disease in the northern hemisphere when they re-enter their next flu season in six months time," he said.
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