The worldwide death rate from H1N1 for this year has surpassed 10,000.

The World Health Organization said Friday that at least 10,582 people have died from swine flu, and 208 countries have reported lab-confirmed cases.

But the fight against the virus appears to be doing well.

The WHO says that swine flu activity has substantially declined in Canada and the U.S. to near seasonal baselines.

In a statement on its website, it also says swine flu diagnoses have tapered off in the U.S. over the past month.

A look at preliminary statistics shows the overall severity of the pandemic hasn't changed, but in the Northern Hemisphere, infection seems to be most common during the winter season, compared to the summer.

Infections are also declining in Europe, but 99 per cent of all flu cases there are H1N1.

In some countries in Western, Central, and Southeast Asia, infections continue to rise.

However, the number of confirmed cases is going down in Japan, parts of China, Taiwan and Mongolia, as well as South America and the Caribbean.

The 10,000 number only counts H1N1 deaths in 2009 up until December 13.

The worldwide total for seasonal flu related deaths is generally between 250,000 and 500,000 a year, according to the WHO.