Swine flu pandemic 'very likely': EU Commission

LUXEMBOURG (AFP) — Swine flu is set to reach pandemic levels in Europe but unlikely to cause widespread deaths, EU health chiefs said Thursday as they struggled to overcome differences on how to contain the virus.

EU Health Commissioner Androulla Vassiliou insisted, after an emergency meeting of European health ministers in Luxembourg, that people should not panic even though it looks increasingly likely that the virus will reach pandemic proportions.

"We are worried, but we are on top of it, there is no need to panic," she told journalists.

"It is very likely that we will reach a pandemic, but this does not mean that it will be deadly," she said.

Although there have been deaths from the virus, mainly in Mexico, most people who have contracted it had responded well, she said, adding that even in normal times seasonal flu kills 250,000 people worldwide every year.

"This is a new virus so it may happen that humans have no immunity to it," said Czech Health Minister Daniela Filipiova, who chaired the meeting.

She added that the fact that there might be a pandemic only meant that "it may happen that an unusual amount of people may be ill," and ... // 68% Remaining