End of H1N1

ATLANTA - The World Health Organization announced Tuesday that the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic is over. The agency says about 19,000 people worldwide have died of complications from the virus since April of 2009.

While no longer considered a pandemic, the H1N1 isn't gone entirely and is still circulating and making people ill. The flu is no longer affecting people in the numbers seen in the last 15 months.

Georgia was hit by two waves of infections. The first wave hit in May of 2009 and the second hit in August and September.

But, what a difference a year can make.

A year after Emory started recruiting the first volunteers to test out a new H1N1 vaccine and Georgia braced for its second wave of swine flu infections, WHO officials announced that the pandemic is over.

Health officials attribute good luck with helping the world avoid a public health disaster. While the virus made a lot of people sick, it never mutated to become more lethal and it never developed widespread resistance to the medications to treat it.

It's almost time to get for people to get their flu shots again. This time, people just need one because the new 2010-2011 vaccine is designed to protect against last year's newcomer and two other flu strains the CDC is already tracking.

"They hope the strains are covered, H1N1 is one of the three included so hopefully there won't be another wild strain out there," said Duellyn Pandis, R.N, of Passport Health.

The vaccine, which comes in both the nasal and injectable forms, may be the best protection against the flu, and the coughs, body aches and fever that come with it.

This year, for the first time, the CDC is recommending everyone 6-months-old and older get vaccinated.

"Even if you had the flu, H1N1 flu, you need to get vaccinated this year to be protected," said Pandis.

This year's push for flu shots could start as early as September, maybe sooner in some areas.

There's a new option for older Americans. Fluzone is high dose for people 65 and older. Research shows it's four times as strong as the regular flu shot and boosts flu-fighting antibodies in the blood.

There's no word yet on whether it lowers infection or hospitalization rates in seniors.

A CDC advisory panel examined at both Fluzone high-dose and the seasonal Trivalent vaccine and did not recommend one over the other, leaving the choice of which shot to get up to seniors.

Source: My Fox Alanta