Pandemic (H1N1) 2009: no phase change

The Emergency Committee held its seventh meeting yesterday. It concluded that there was mixed evidence showing declining or low pandemic activity in many countries, but new community-level transmission in West Africa. Committee members also noted that the winter in the southern hemisphere would soon begin, and there was uncertainty as to whether additional general waves of activity might occur. 

Based on these discussions and the current epidemiological evidence, the WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan, determined that there has been no change in the pandemic phase. The Committee will reconvene in a few weeks to review intervening developments and related epidemiological information.

Situation in the European Region

Most countries continue to report fewer detections of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus than in previous weeks, and influenza positivity rates for the Region have continued to fall, from 45% in early November 2009 to 5% in the second week of February 2010. Pandemic influenza remains the dominant circulating influenza virus, but trends in clinical and virological data suggest that pandemic influenza activity is coming to an end.