A headline from last week about determining the end of the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic caught my eye. Was it really officially over?

While searching for this answer or at least information about declaring the end of a pandemic, I came across a comprehensive summary of pandemic H1N1 in the May 6th issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. I thought I’d share some highlights with you:

Estimates of cases in the U.S. (as of February 2010):
*59 million illnesses
*265,000 hospitalizations
*12,000 deaths

International information:
*Almost all countries have reported cases
*More than 17,700 deaths among laboratory-confirmed cases

Hospitalization rates were highest for those younger than 5 years (especially age 1 year and younger) and lowest for those over 65 years. Certain groups have been overrepresented among those with severe 2009 H1N1 virus infection. These groups include pregnant women (especially in 2nd and 3rd trimester), women less than 2 weeks postpartum, and patients with immunosuppression or neurologic disorders. Also, severe obesity or morbid obesity has been shown to contribute to the risk of severe or fatal disease.

So, is the pandemic over? An expert panel of the World Health Organization will review the status of 2009 H1N1 influenza later this month or in early June.  I’ll keep you posted!

Writing Committee of the WHO Consultation on Clinical Aspects of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Influenza,
Clinical Aspects of Pandemic 2009 Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Infection
N Engl J Med 2010 362: 1708-1719