Countries around the world are now taking urgent steps to curb the spread of swine flu, a new influenza virus that has so far killed 176 people in Mexico and is taking hold in the United States, Europe and Asia.

As the Netherlands on Thursday confirmed its first case of swine flu, becoming the 12th country to be infected by the deadly virus, the World Health Organization raised the swine flu pandemic alert level to phase five, indicating a pandemic is imminent.

In the current global economic hard times, the swine flu outbreak not only poses serious threats to people's health and lives but also deals a heavy blow to the world economy, which has just showed some signs of recovery.

To prevent the spread of the swine flu as soon as possible is an urgent task for the international community. For individual countries, to reduce the harm of the disease for other countries to the minimum is their international obligation.

In recent years, many countries, including China, have managed to put the SARS and avian flu epidemic under effective control. Their success stories indicate that only by the joint efforts of governments and all social sectors can they expect to put similar epidemics under effective control within a reasonably short time.

An important part of these joint efforts is the swift and effective response of the governments and various public agencies. An epidemic outbreak prompts governments to take emergency measures that include epidemic detection and evaluation, timely information release, storage and distribution of medicines and vaccines, as well as working out quarantine and protective isolation measures.

All these constitute a grave test for the government, and any delay will result in heavy losses of human lives.

The joint efforts also call for assistance and support from the whole society as well as the international community.

The medical experts are duty bound to draw up plans for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the disease. The mass media, on their part, should disseminate accurate information and necessary knowledge to help ease public worries and prevent social panic, rather than spread sensational rumors.

Meanwhile, the international community should offer effective assistance to the countries affected. This is not only their humanitarian obligation, but also a necessity. A country can save itself only when it does its utmost to help others, as a disease has no boundaries.

The ability of humans to combat pandemics such as the swine flu ultimately comes from science, which includes people's understanding of diseases, and the popularization of medical science that helps treat them.

The 1918 flu pandemic (commonly referred to as the Spanish flu)claimed about 20-40 million lives in the world. But only about one-tenth of that many people died in the Asian influenza in mid-20th century. In the 21st century, people's understanding of various diseases has enormously enhanced and they have at their disposal effective means unparalleled in the past in their fight against the infectious diseases. There is no doubt that the swine flu will finally be brought under effective control as long as governments and peoples in the world join forces in their fight against the deadly epidemic.