WHO slow to respond, says top Mexican medic

MEXICO’S chief epidemiologist accused the World Health Organisation of being slow to respond to the country’s warning about a health crisis that turned into a global swine flu scare and called for an investigation.

Dr Miguel Angel Lezana said his centre alerted the Pan American Health Organisation on April 16 about alarming occurrences of flu and atypical pneumonia in Mexico. But no action was taken until eight days later when the WHO said it was “very, very concerned” the outbreak could grow into a pandemic.

“It seems it should have been more immediate,” said Dr Lezana, director of the National Epidemiology Centre.