"I can confirm that the DG (director-general) is consulting with the ministries of health of seven or eight of the most affected countries to try to see if there is undisputable evidence of community spread," WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib told AFP.

Countries reporting the highest number of infections include Australia, Britain, Canada, Japan, Mexico and the United States.

According to the WHO's latest tally of flu cases published Wednesday, Chile reported 1,283 more infections, including one new death, bringing its total caseload to 1,694.

Chaib described the consultation as an "important meeting" and that the WHO is looking for firm evidence of community spread before any decision can be made on whether to declare a fully-fledged pandemic.

Since the A(H1N1) virus was first discovered in April, some 74 countries have reported 27,737 cases including 141 deaths to the health agency.

Britain added 109 new infections, bringing its total to 666, while Australia's total reached 1,224, including 173 new cases.

Japan also reported 75 new cases to the WHO, bringing its total to 485.

Under the WHO's guidelines, one key criteria for declaring a pandemic would be established community spread in a country outside the first region in which the disease was initially reported, in this case, outside the Americas.

Experts are therefore watching developments in Australia, Britain, Chile and Japan very carefully.

Keiji Fukuda, WHO assistant director-general on Tuesday noted that in Australia, there was now a "great deal of activity in Victoria at the community level.

"We are getting very very close" to a pandemic, he assessed.

The WHO has so far left its six-level pandemic alert scale unchanged at phase five, signalling that a pandemic is "imminent."

A source close to the organisation told AFP that the WHO would not announce a phase change Wednesday, but added that it could do so in the coming days.

WHO chief Margaret Chan, who would make such an announcement if any, is scheduled to head to Rome Thursday for a preparatory meeting on the G8 summit in July.

However, the source said she could "change her schedule" if necessary.

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