HEALTH adminstrators say plans are well in place to ensure Wirral GPs and Arrowe Park Hospital have sufficient supplies of swine flu anti-viral treatments.

The World Health Organisation last night raised the alert level to phase five, which means it believes a global outbreak is imminent.

It also signals there is sustained human-to-human spread in at least two countries, and that efforts to produce a vaccine will be ramped up.

The alert upgrade came after three more people in Britain were confirmed as having the illness, including a 12-year-old girl.

Wirral's response to the increased alert is being managed by Liverpool Primary Care Trust, which has assumed "gold command" status.

A spokeswoman said: "Liverpool PCT is responsible for leading the NHS response across Merseyside on planning for potential outbreaks of infectious disease, and, at a local level, we are currently ensuring that all preparations are in hand.

"The UK has been preparing for a flu pandemic for the last five years. We have established a stockpile of enough antivirals to treat more than 33 million people, that is to say, half of the United Kingdom population.

"NHS Wirral are working to ensure that arrangements are in place to support distribution of antivirals, should this become necessary.

"All NHS organisations have pandemic flu plans in place and the Department of Health is now working closely with the NHS to ensure that these plans can be put into action so that antivirals can be made available to the public very rapidly should we reach that stage."

A letter sent to all 66 Wirral councillors from the town hall's Health, Safety & Resilience Operations Manager says the council, along with other partner agencies, has been meeting on a daily basis at what is termed a Strategic Coordinating Group to monitor the situation and agree any actions.

It states: "We have along with all our multi-agency partners been working on Infectious Human Diseases (Pandemic) planning for a number of years now and therefore you can be reassured that many of the issues that we could possibly face should the situation escalate, have been discussed and exercised/tested between ourselves on a number of occasions."

The Government's Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, said he was "concerned but not alarmed" after the alert level was increased to phase five.

Sir Liam told BBC Breakfast: "Most people who get flu, even a new strain of flu, will make a good recovery. It's a nasty illness but it's short and they will recover."

Anyone who has been to the affected areas of Mexico and/or the U.S. and is experiencing influenza-like illness should stay at home to limit contact with others, and seek medical advice from their local health professional or by contacting NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.