Reports of H1N1 may be slowing

Alex Lang

Nov. 7, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- The region's number of reported H1N1 cases appears to be slowing, but it's hard to say for sure, according to health officials.

Monongalia County had 570 cases reported this past week, health department spokeswoman Holly Hildreth said. The week of Oct. 25-31, the health department had 511 reported cases. Oct. 18-24, it had 1,451.

Hildreth said there was no way to definitively say the numbers have slowed. The health department only gets numbers when people with flu-like symptoms visit health care providers. If people stay home, they aren't recorded.

Health department officials hope to see the number of those reporting flu symptoms decrease as the vaccine is distributed, Hildreth said.

WVU Hospitals (WVUH) Spokeswoman Amy Johns said 15 people were in WVUH with flu-like symp- toms, as of noon Friday. Six of those cases are pediatric patients.

At WVU Student Health, 949 students have reported having flu-like symptoms since counting began, Johns said. About half -- 457 -- visited Student Health and 492 reported their symptoms through a WVU Web site.

Johns said the WVU Student Health Service also plans a separate clinic to serve only flu patients, near the traditional Student Health facility -- in the WVU Health Sciences Center. It will only be open to students.

The new clinic will keep those with flu-like symptoms away from students with other illnesses, Johns said.

Preston County also has seen the number of reported flu-like cases slow during the past week, said Denise Knoebel, administrator for the Preston County Health Department. This past week, 223 cases were reported, while 216 cases were reported Oct. 25-31 and 136 cases Oct. 18-24.

Knoebel said she was happy to see the number of reports begin to level off.

On Friday, the health department also announced plans to begin H1N1 vaccination clinics in Preston County Schools. Monongalia County school students were vaccinated this past week.

The clinics begin Tuesday at Terra Alta and Valley elementaries. The shots will continue in the schools until after Thanksgiving. A full schedule can be found on the district's Web site, prestoncountyschools.com/. The clinics could be postponed if there is a delay in the number of vaccines received by the health department.

Preston County Schools Superintendent Larry Parsons said they have been waiting to provide these clinics in the schools, adding that vaccinating the students should slow the spread of the virus.

"It's going to help," he said.

Earlier this week, Parsons said the district saw a peak in flu-related student absences, with some schools reporting 20 percent. But the percentages have decreased daily. Parsons did not have Friday's attendance rates.

Attendance at Monongalia County schools continued to hover around 10 percent, or 1,075 students absent.

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