After three months of a pandemic, the H1N1 virus is still contagious. To limit the continued spread, the Health Ministers of the European Union will meet in October to discuss the measures proposed by the Commission.

Although so far there hasn't been an alarming number of serious cases, the forecast is that in the coming months a wave reaches more virulent. The vaccines have already begun to sell, but demand is already outstripping supply and prices in some countries may be too high so the economic impact would be significant.

The World Bank estimates that the measures put in place to slow down the spread of a pandemic, although appropriate, could have a great economic impact. They are said to account for 60 % of the total costs. Only 12 % would be linked to mortality and 28 % to absenteeism and illness. Experience has shown that the economic impact of a health crisis is rarely directly correlated to the medical severity of the virus. The immediate impact is likely to attract the most public attention. However, depending on the duration and severity of the pandemic, the long-term effect can significantly exceed the short-term costs.

Androulla Vassiliou, Commissioner for Health in the EU, said in this connection that "nobody should underestimate the situation, but there is no reason to panic. In the EU we are prepared for an event of this kind for some time. The experiences of the past years (SARS and bird flu) have contributed to the preparation, and have stronger mechanisms of surveillance and alert "

The EU aims to tackle these problems through a strategy of cooperation between the administrations of member countries. In particular, the strategy calls for a clear and coherent approach to vaccination and other preventive measures.