Review of flu response
Experts will investigate the World Health Organisation's response to the swine flu outbreak and probably examine whether it could have been clearer when it declared a pandemic of what turned out to be a relatively mild disease.
The independent review starting later this month will be conducted by about 30 scientists and health chiefs and their initial findings will be presented to member states by WHO director general Margaret Chan in May, Keiji Fukuda, WHO's top flu official, said in Geneva, Switzerland.
Several governments urged WHO last year not to declare swine flu a pandemic, saying it could cause unnecessary alarm if the virus turned out to be harmless.
But the agency went ahead, arguing that the term pandemic signifies only a new strain but says nothing about how dangerous it is.