B.C. ready for flu, says top doc

British Columbia is well prepared for the world’s first pandemic in 40 years, provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall said on Thursday after the World Health Organization raised its alert level to 6 — its highest phase.

Kendall said that a “lot of people hear the word pandemic and get concerned.”

“It’s important to understand that a pandemic does not mean the H1N1 flu virus has become more severe,” said Kendall.

“It only refers to the geographic spread of the virus.”