H1N1 influenza pandemic ends
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
World Health Organization declares an official end to the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic on Aug. 10, based on strong indications that influenza worldwide is "transitioning toward seasonal patterns of transmission," according to the WHO International Health Regulations Emergency Committee and Director-General Margaret Chan. WHO started issuing pandemic alerts for the 2009 strain of the H1N1 influenza A virus in spring 2009, about the same time U.S. government officials started asking firms for rapid testing tools to get a better handle on the disease (1"The Gray Sheet" May 4, 2009)