SWINE FLU CASES DOWN IN WV

(12/03/2009)
Officials are reporting that West Virginia has seen a sharp drop in reports of flu over the last month.

Some officials are wondering if the so-called swine flu pandemic is fading.

Data released Wednesday, says the number of reported cases of influenza-like illness have dropped from nearly 13,000 a month ago to about 2,000 last week.

But Dr. Dee Bixler with the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health believes some of the drop is probably due to low reporting rates over Thanksgiving.

She says there's a month-long trend showing a sharp decrease in flu cases, but Swine Flu could certainly surge again.

West Virginia has reported 18 deaths linked to influenza this season.