The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global flu pandemic after holding an emergency meeting, according to reports, writes BBC Online Thursday.
It means the swine flu virus is spreading in at least two regions of the world with rising cases being seen in the UK, Australia, Japan and Chile.
The move does not necessarily mean the virus is causing more severe illness or more deaths.
The swine flu (H1N1) virus first emerged in Mexico in April. It has since spread to 74 countries. Official reports say there have been 28.000 cases globally and 141 deaths and figures are rising daily.
The last global flu pandemic came in 1968 over the Hong Kong flu. That pandemic killed about one million people.
