H1N1 pandemic peak assessed

The World Health Organization's flu expertsmet Tuesdayto discuss the status of the H1N1 pandemic and whether flu activity is past its peak.

The UN agency is expected to announce Wednesday that pandemic activity is in a "post-peak period," the time when flu activity returns to normal levels seen with seasonal influenza.

"The main question will be to advise the WHO on whether we are still inphase sixor whether we in effect have moved to what is called the post-peak period," WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told reporters in Geneva.

"The pandemic will not be declared over."

The committee of 15 experts will make arecommendation to Dr. Margaret Chan, the WHO director-general, who will then inform the health ministries of the agency's 193 member states and the Vatican.

Overall, H1N1 has declined in most of the Northern Hemisphere, including Canada and the United States.

But WHO said H1N1is still causing outbreaks outside the normal flu season inplaces such as West Africa, and it is affecting groups not normally hit with seasonal flu, such as younger people,WHO said.

If WHO declares thatH1N1 activity has reached the post-peak phase, it won't 't mean that flu cases have peaked everywhere in the world or that more local waves aren't possible.

Since the virus emerged in North America last March, there have been estimated 16,000 deathsworldwide in people with a laboratory-confirmed H1N1 infection. WHO says it could take two years to estimate the toll more accurately.