April 29, 2009

Twitter reacts to WHO raising pandemic alert level again

The World Health Organization has increased the pandemic alert level for swine flu from 4 to 5, one short of an a full-blown pandemic, according to its official Web site. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said that "all countries should immediately activate their pandemic preparedness plans."

Here's how some Twitterers around the globe responded, although a good part of the world in Asia and elsewhere was sound asleep when the story broke:

  1. Gord Cadabra
    Gord_Cadabra (Toronto, Canada) The news just told me that all of humanity is at risk thanks to the swine flu. I think Al Gore has an idea for his next movie.
  2. Maxim Barrault
    maximbarrault (Paris, France) WHO threat level raised from four to five after evidence of illness spreading within separate geographic zones. Stay away from me.
  3. Hannah Taylor
    hanzipan (London, U.K.) The WHO are moving the pandemic warning up to level 5.. this is getting a bit worrying! (Still sewing the guineapig by the way)
  4. Ulises Muñiz
    Ulises (Monterrey, Mexico) soy el único que piensa que la WHO se tarda mucho en actuar? o será que yo soy muy rápido y escandaloso (I am the only one who thinks that the WHO will take long to act? or is it that I am very fast and scandalous)
  5. Joe Dyer
    joeplanet (Fort Worth, Texas, USA) #BringItUnplugged Awesome! WHO just moved swine flu pandemic alert to level 5 and I am in a large room packed to standing room only.
  6. Aaron Butler
    aaronbutler (Berlin, Germany) Swine flu perspective time! Seasonal flu has killed 13,000 since January: http://tinyurl.com/cd3tgz
  7. Aldy Masna
    aldy (Melbourne, Australia) the news and the WHO is blowing this whole swine flu out off proportion really.
  8. Reuben Goldberg
    RubyGold (Johannesburg, South Africa) RT @johnmarshall705: Stop tweeting about Swine flu!!!! until it kills more people then the regular flu 36000 last year who cares!!!!!!!!
  9. Umair Ali
    UmEEE (Lahore, Pakistan) global influenza pandemic threat level raised by WHO to level 5 on a scale of 6!!!

Several Twitterers noted that the WHO Web site had crashed momentarily, apparently overloaded. It appears to be working again, though running slowly.

  1. The Square Live @ 7
    TheSquare (Portland, Ore.) @Native_Momma Looks like the WHO site just crashed. So much for pandemic preparedness.
  2. Anna Goodman Hoover
    AnyaFanya (Undisclosed) Response to raised alert must have just crashed WHO's site. It's no longer loading.
  3. Taylor Jackson
    teodoro1188 (Atlanta, Ga.) WHO website is jammed. Can't get the latest info ... grrr. Look like this thing's getting serious.
  4. Carys Cochern
    CarysIsAwesome (Undisclosed) i keep getting a broken link to WHO's website. does this alarm anyone else?
  5. Michael K. Hill
    mkhill (St. Louis, Mo.) WHO website is down. Anyone surprised? To you teens, 20- and 3-somethings: Now is the time to pick back up the hygiene habits!


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