WHO: It could take years to lower swine flu threat level

With the H1N1 swine flu virus responsible for more than 4,500 deaths worldwide, the World Health Organization says it could take years for the global threat level to be lowered.

According to the latest World Health Organization figures, the H1N1 swine flu pandemic has been directly attributed to more than 4,500 deaths worldwide. "As many countries have stopped counting individual cases, particularly of milder illness, the case count is significantly lower than the actually number of cases that have occurred," WHO stated on their web site. But WHO officials also warned that it could take years for this strain to become more of a seasonal concern - and that the global pandemic alert would not be immediately lowered as a result. The pandemic alert will stay in effect until worldwide populations can demonstrate an ability to fend off infections. "At some point in the future, there would be a recognition of the fact that if it's no longer circulating on a sustainable basis in communities. Then you would lower the pandemic level," WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told Reuters. "There is absolutely no indication yet of that happening." In the meantime, vaccine manufacturers have been shipping large numbers of dosages to hospitals and to health care facilities where needed - and there have been reports of H1N1 swine flu vaccine scarcity. The U.S. government has been actively working to educate the general population on the need for vaccination, and health officials remain optimistic that the strain will remain relatively mild. However, influenza is notoriously unpredictable.