With the second wave of H1N1 infections having crested in the United States, leading epidemiologists are predicting that the pandemic could end up ranking as the mildest since modern medicine began documenting influenza outbreaks.

Experts warn that influenza is notoriously unpredictable, but several recent analyses, including one released late Monday, indicate the death toll is likely to be far lower than the number of fatalities caused by past pandemics.