Philippine health officials will continue its vaccination drive against Influenza A (H1N1) to high-risk groups despite the declaration of the World Health Organization (WHO) signifying the end of a pandemic.

The other day, the WHO said the globe is now moving into the post-pandemic period but the virus remains a threat to vulnerable groups such as elderly persons and pregnant women, WHO Director Margaret Chan said.

She said the virus will continue to circulate as part of seasonal influenza viruses but the vaccines that have been developed for it remains effective and the virus has not developed widespread resistance against Oseltamivir, the antiviral drug that is being used as treatment for A (H1N1).

“We shall also intensify our vaccination strategy in targeting our health workers and high-risk groups which include pregnant women, the very young and the elderly, the immuno-compromised and those with chronic conditions such as asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), diabetes and cardiovascular disease," Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona said.

“Thus, I encourage our health workers and all our citizens who belong to these vulnerable groups to avail of the vaccines that we have already been providing for free in our local health facilities and DoH-managed hospitals since early this year. I also call on our hospitals and frontline healthcare providers to continue the effective management of our local cases following the clinical guidelines that the DoH has issued in 2009,” he added.

The DoH confirmed that the lowering of the alert level was a recommendation of health leaders during the ASEAN health ministers meeting last month.

The health official explained that the post-pandemic phase means that the A (H1N1) virus has ‘taken on a behavior and intensity’ like the regular seasonal flu viruses which means the country can expect sustained community-level transmission and localized outbreaks of the virus in the future.

Ona said most A (H1N1) cases were manifested with mild symptoms similar to other countries and can be resolved even without antiviral treatment.

“There is also no indication of a change or mutation in the virus that would point to increased virulence or a change in the severity or character of the flu illness that it causes to patients.”

The DoH official revealed that 49 percent of 11,904 specimens submitted to and analyzed by the Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) tested positive for A (H1N1) in 2009, data as of July 31, 2010 revealed.

The dominant strain is still A (H1N1) and not a “mix of influenza viruses, typically seen during seasonal epidemics” as described by WHO.

“With the shift toward the post-pandemic phase, let me assure everyone that the DoH will continue to monitor the situation and heed the advice of WHO to continue our early detection and surveillance activities and remain vigilant against the expected local outbreaks as part of the DoH Surveillance for influenza-like illnesses (ILI),” Ona said.

The health chief said the A (H1N1) pandemic has proven the capacity of the DoH to respond effectively to an emerging challenge.