The world is no longer in the middle of an H1N1 pandemic, the World Health Organisation has announced. We are now in the “post pandemic period”, Margaret Chan, director-general of the WHO, has announced.

An expert committee meeting today decided that influenza is now moving to a pattern of seasonal outbreaks, with most countries not experiencing out-of-season outbreaks. This means that the pandemic level is being downgraded from the highest level of six down to five (committee report).

“The world is no longer in phase six,” Chan said in a conference call to reporters (prepared statement).

“As we enter the post pandemic period this does not mean that H1N1 has gone away. Based on experience with past pandemics we expect the H1N1 to take on the behaviour of a seasonal virus.”

So was all the vaccine buying and general worry for nothing? Chan doesn’t think so and she denied that the WHO had in any way overreacted.

“This pandemic has turned out to be much more fortunate than what we feared. We have been aided by pure good luck,” she says.

Strokes of luck include the virus not mutating into a more deadly form and widespread resistance to anti-flu drug oseltamivir not arising. Countries are still being encouraged to immunise high risk groups with their vaccine stocks, Chan added.