The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that swine flu has claimed at least 12 220 victims worldwide to date, but that the H1N1 pandemic seemed to be subsiding.

Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General, was speaking in Geneva, Switzerland, on Sunday, and reported that the latest available statistics up to December 27, 2009, had increased by only 700 cases for the previous week. The week before that, reported fatalities had increased by more than twice that number.

According to the WHO, the highest current rates of transmission were central and eastern Europe, with the focal points over the past few weeks being in Georgia, Montenegro and Ukraine.

The report also said that respiratory infections, including seasonal flu, were especially strong in parts of eastern and southern Europe, including Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine and Russia's Urals region.

Despite the widespread concern surrounding H1N1, WHO's data estimate that seasonal flu itself claims casualties in the range of 250 000 to 300 000 globally, on an annual basis.

Margaret Chan emphasized that the H1N1 pandemic, currently being addressed largely through programs of extensive vaccinations, would probably not be fully defeated until 2011.