WHO has decided to extend the influenza pandemic
February 25, 2010 – 1:18 am 
World Health Organization does not consider that the peak incidence of influenza H1N1 is passed without exception in all regions of the world, and does not intend in the near future to change the status of an influenza pandemic.
This is stated in a press release on the basis of the WHO held a teleconference today’s emergency committee of experts of international organizations.
As stated in the document, in most countries the incidence of influenza H1N1 remains low or moderate, but in some regions, for example – in West Africa, marked a new outbreak. In addition, a further increase in cases is possible with the onset of winter in the southern hemisphere.
In this regard, WHO experts have concluded that the peak incidence of new flu is not passed in all regions, which means that for possible changes in the level of pandemic threat requires more time and more detailed information on the dissemination of new infection.
Based on the recommendations of an expert body, Director General of WHO Margaret Chan decided to retain announced last summer phase of an influenza pandemic. The next meeting of WHO’s emergency committee will take place over the next few weeks.
According to the World Health Organization, since the beginning of the pandemic influenza H1N1 in April last year from this infection died more than 16 thousand people. However, as stressed by WHO experts, these estimates are tentative, as the real number of victims may be much higher.
Today, Russia’s chief sanitary doctor Gennady Onishchenko told Interfax that the incidence of influenza H1N1 the territory of Russia as a whole is below the epidemic threshold. According to Onishchenko, a new flu “has lost the leading position in the total amount of catarrhal diseases in Russia.”
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