Mexico says WHO reacted too slowly to Swine Flu

Mexico's chief epidemiologist has accused the World health Organization (WHO) of being slow to respond to the country's warning about a health crisis that turned into a global swine flu scare and has called for an investigation.

Dr. Miguel Angel Lezana told The Associated Press Thursday his officials alerted the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) on April 16 about alarming occurrences of flu and atypical pneumonia in Mexico. PAHO is the UN's regional health body and is affiliated with the WHO.

Dr Lezanza told the news agency no action was taken until eight days later when the World Health Organization said it was "very, very concerned" the outbreak could grow into a pandemic.

"It seems it should have been more immediate," Lezana, director of Mexico's National Epidemiology Center, told AP in a telephone interview.

WHO officials said Friday the health body had been informed on about April 9 of unusual cases of "suspicious influenza" from Mexico that had begun in late March, but that U.S. and Canadian laboratories identified the virus on April 24, when the organization responded rapidly.

Mexican health authorities say new cases and the death rate are leveling off. They have confirmed 300 swine flu cases and 12 deaths due to the virus.