The World Health Organization (WHO) late Monday raised the flu pandemic alert level from three to four, signaling that the outbreak is not just sporadic cases or appearing in small clusters, but poses a risk of reaching pandemic proportions. The group also said huge knowledge gaps remained about the virus’s origins and spread. The maximum level is six…

While officials at the Homeland Security Department and other government agencies are putting more resources at border crossings, sheriffs operating along the border say they don’t have enough resources to deter illegal immigrants who might be carrying the disease into the U.S.

Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez Jr. of Zapata County, Texas, said emergency funding is needed to enhance patrols and monitor local jails for any outbreaks.

Sheriff Gonzalez, who is chairman of the Southwestern Border Sheriff’s Coalition, said thousands of students who cross the border daily from Mexico to attend school in the U.S. should be monitored or stopped until the severity of the flu outbreak can be determined.