As the number of Influenza A(H1N1) flu cases crept past 100 in Costa Rica, the World Health Organization declared the worldwide situation a pandemic.

Based on the virus' international reach, the ease of spread and the inability to predict its path, the organization raised its health alert to a Level 6 on Thursday.

“The virus is contagious, spreading easily from one person to another, and from one country to another,” said Margaret Chan, director general of the World Health Organization. “As of today, nearly 30,000 confirmed cases have been reported in 74 countries…On the basis of available evidence…the scientific criteria for an influenza pandemic have been met.”

Since it was first detected in the neighbourhoods of Mexico City in mid-March, the virus has made its way to nearly every continent and caused 144 deaths.

In Costa Rica, of the more than 2,000 people examined, there are currently 104 confirmed cases, one death, and 10 likely cases awaiting testing.

Symptoms of the virus include fever, headache, cough, sore throat, body aches and fatigue. Health officials recommend contacting medical personal if you are experiencing symptoms and/or have been in contact with known cases.

Costa Rica may be riding above the deep economic flood that's washed over other developing countries.

Although the World Bank issued a report warning of the lasting effect the crisis will have on poorer countries, Standard & Poor's has maintained the country's credit ratings, saying Costa Rica's financial outlook “remains stable.”

“Recent years of good (gross domestic product) GDP growth and prudent fiscal policy helped reduce the public sector debt burden to less than 40 percent of GDP in 2008, down from more than 50 percent in 2006,” according to the report.

Costa Rica's Central Bank also is reporting positive signs of an economic rebound, including a moderation in the rate of economic contraction and an increase in retail sales for the first time in three months, according to a recent report by the consulting firm Aldesa. In addition, major foreign investors such as Boston Scientific and Firestone recently have undertaken actions to expand their operations in Costa Rica.

Yet, the picture isn't as hopeful on the world stage. The World Bank issued a warning on Thursday of the lasting impact the crisis could have on developing countries.

The Washington D.C.-based organization is preparing to dole out a record amount of money in loans this year and also is monitoring the world GDP, which it expects will shrink by 3 percent (a significant increase from the 1.75 percent anticipated earlier).

“Although growth is expected to revive during the course of 2010, the pace of the recovery is uncertain and the poor in many developing countries will continue to be buffeted by the aftershocks,” said World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick.

He continued, “Waves of economic pain continue to hurt the developing world's poor, who have less cushion to protect themselves. There is much more we need to do in the coming months to mobilize resources to ensure that the poor do not pay for a crisis that is not of their making.”

In contrast to news this year of Boston Scientific, Firestone and other businesses bringing new jobs to Costa Rica, more companies will likely cut staff in the third quarter than the same period last year, according to a survey by Manpower Inc.

The survey of more than 620 companies across the country reveals a drop of 20 percent from the third quarter of 2008 in the number of businesses expecting to hire new workers, while the number of companies expecting to make cuts has risen 8 percent.

“What we see is that employers are already beginning to have intentions to stop contracting new workers and, in some cases, they are looking to fire workers,” said Eric Quesada, the regional manager of Manpower.

It's a demonstration of companies preparing themselves to weather the recession, as many have shifted from a growth-oriented mindset to one of maintaining the status quo, he said.

Of the total 620 businesses, only 12 percent expect to hire and as many as 13 percent expect to fire.

Still, as with any prediction, the study gives only a hazy vision of what's to come.

“It depends on the magnitude of the changes,” said Eric Vargas, the investment strategy manager at the Costa Rican financial consulting firm, Aldesa.

Since the study is predictive rather than quantitative, nothing can be definitively said about how many people will lose their jobs, as opposed to those being employed, both men said.

Unfortunately, employment numbers tend to lag behind other indicators such as economic output.

Officially, Costa Rica has 4.7 percent unemployment, but the number is from July 2008. Marta Argüello, an economist with the Labor Ministry, said it has likely risen to around 6 percent.

Vargas said the jobless rate by year's end could beat the 1982 high, when it peaked at 9.4 percent.

Costa Rican authorities must better define the rules of play involved in order to compete in the newly opened telecommunications market, telecom officials and business leaders said during a debate Thursday.

The debate took place during the heat of the day but inside a highly air-conditioned conference room at the Marriott Hotel in San Antonio de Belén, northwest of the capital. Telecom industry leaders from across Latin America attended, poised to have their share of Costa Rica's market.

A highpoint of the debate occurred between the head of Costa Rica' telecom monopoly – the Costa Rican Electricity Institute (ICE) – and representatives from two companies that have been earnestly courting the new market, CableTica and Tigo-Amnet.

The debate focused on how long the approval process for entering the market ought to take and how much of a role the new Superintendence of Telecommunications (SUTEL) should play in the process.

The president of ICE, Pedro Pablo Quirós, compared the process to a soccer game, with SUTEL as the referee.

“When there are fouls, you need to intervene,” Quirós said. “But when there are no fouls, you just need to let them play,” indicating that SUTEL was slowing the process down with unwritten rules.

Representatives from ICE's two potential competitors expressed frustration over the lack of clarity in the application process. They also criticized ICE's services – albeit indirectly – saying an improved market with innovative services hinged on allowing new competitors.

All three officials said they are interested in working together throughout the opening of the market as well as in the process of building the new infrastructure that will be necessary to ensure that cellular waves aren't bogged down.