World Health Organization declares post-pandemic phase.

On 10 August, following advice from the Emergency Committee the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the world is no longer in phase 6 of influenza pandemic alert. Margaret Chan, the WHO Director-General, stated that the Committee based its assessment on the global situation and on reports from countries that are currently experiencing influenza epidemics. While noting the epidemics with concern, members of the Committee noted that there were indications that influenza activity worldwide has returned to levels that are normally seen for seasonal influenza. In the post-pandemic period, levels of influenza activity are those usual for seasonal influenza and the pandemic virus is expected to behave like a seasonal influenza A virus. The post-pandemic phase is an opportunity to review the pandemic itself as well as its management in the past months, and to identify areas in the preparedness and response plans that may need to be adapted in light of the experience with the 2009 influenza pandemic [1]. Expert predictions for the European 2010-11 winter are for epidemics to be similar to those in the southern hemisphere temperate countries. Current epidemiological indicators do not show any influenza activity in 14 reporting European Union countries [2].