The Department of Health and Social Security has advised all organisations that they can 'stand down' with reference to H1N1 (swine) flu.

The number of cases of swine flu is dropping in the UK, Europe and North America.  In the Isle of Man, the last case which came to the attention of Public Health was on 29th December 2009.

At a meeting of the Joint Committee on Vaccination & Immunisation (JCVI) held in London on the 8th January 2010, it was agreed that a third wave of infection is extremely unlikely.  Locally, no further cases have been noted since the start of the new school term.

The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) alert level remains at level 6; this is due to outbreaks in Eastern Europe, North Africa and parts of Asia (the WHO alert level is based on a review of the situation across the World).

The Director of Public Health, Dr Parameswaran Kishore commented, "Even though it is now prudent that organisations stand-down their swine flu preparations, the public can be assured that we will of course continue to monitor the situation closely; if there is any sign of a further increase in swine flu cases we will issue appropriate alerts."