The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic is officially over, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee and WHO Director-General, Dr. Margaret Chan.
"The new H1N1 virus has largely run its course," Chan said in a virtual press conference on Aug. 10.
Out-of-season outbreaks are no longer being reported in either the northern or southern hemispheres. Influenza outbreaks, including those caused by the H1N1 virus, are similar in intensity to those that occur during seasonal epidemics.
Although the world is entering a "post-pandemic period," this does not mean that the H1N1 virus has gone away, Chan said. It just means the H1N1 virus will behave more like a seasonal flu virus and continue to circulate for years to come.
At this point, the virus has spread all over the globe, and many people throughout all age groups have developed some immunity to the new virus. No large or unusual summer outbreaks have occurred in either hemisphere.
In the post-pandemic period, localized outbreaks that show significant levels of H1N1 transmission remain possible, Chan said.
Although the official WHO declaration of the end of the pandemic was made just yesterday at a global level, the U.S. Public Health Emergency for 2009 H1N1 influenza expired on June 23. Still, WHO called for continued vigilance, because of the virus' continued ability to cause serious disease in younger people and pregnant women in the immediate post-pandemic period.
To learn more:
- read the WHO director general's statement at a virtual press conference
- here's the WHO's fact sheet
- read the Department of Health and Human Services press release