H1N1 swine flu has not peaked yet but seems to be waning in Canada and the United States, signalling that the end of the pandemic may be on the horizon, Reuters cited the World Health Organisation (WHO) as saying today. A third wave of infections may still be ahead, Keiji Fukuda, the WHO"s top flu expert, said. But he added there was no sign of widespread resistance to Tamiflu, the main drug used to treat the H1N1 flu strain. "I think it"s fair to say that we still haven"t fully gotten through the pandemic and that it is possible that there could be unexpected events which occur," Fukuda told a news conference. "It is quite possible to have a pandemic on the milder side. And if we are experiencing that and the number of serious cases is kept down, then it is something again for which we should all be thankful," he said. H1N1, which emerged in March, causes moderate symptoms in most patients but poses greater risks to pregnant woman, young people and patients with underlying health problems, according to the WHO. The United Nations agency declared a full-blown pandemic -- at six on its six-point scale -- under way on June 11. The flu strain has caused at least 7,826 deaths worldwide as of Nov. 27. New flu strains which spark pandemics typically cause large outbreaks and then go through a transition period when the virus essentially becomes the seasonal influenza virus, Fukuda said. The WHO and its advisory committees are gathering scientific data to assess the possible end of the pandemic, Fukuda said, telling journalists: "I anticipate that at least sometime in 2010 we will be discussing this in formal settings, in more concentrated ways." "Again, I think it"s a little bit early to begin those discussions now because we are still in a period where some countries are still increasing in terms of infections, even though in some countries, such as the United States and Canada, it looks like infections and cases are going down," he said.
