By John Lyon
Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Department of Health announced today it will stop posting a running count of new cases of the H1N1 flu, also known as swine flu, on its Web site.

The department is following the lead of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which stopped updating its count of cases on July 24.

The symptoms of the virus have been milder than scientists at first feared when the outbreak began in Mexico and the U.S. this spring, and have been similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu.

“At the time (the outbreak began), we knew so little about that the virus was like. We didn’t have any information,” said state Health Department spokesman Ed Barham. “By this time we know quite a bit more.”

By last Wednesday, 150 lab-confirmed cases of swine flu had been reported in 38 counties in Arkansas. No one has died from the virus in Arkansas.
Officials say many cases have undoubtedly gone unreported, and keeping an accurate count of cases would be impossible.

“From previous experience we know that this is only the tip of the iceberg, and the number of infected individuals is significantly greater,” said Dr. James Phillips, director of the Infectious Disease Branch of the state Health Department. “When school starts again, we expect to see an increase in cases.”

More than a million cases may be unreported nationwide, according to the CDC.

The CDC has said it will continue to report deaths related to swine flu. So far this year, 353 people have died from the virus in U.S. states and territories, according to the CDC’s Web site.

About 36,000 Americans die from complications of seasonal flu each year. Health officials urge people to continue taking precautions such as covering the nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing; washing hands often with soap and water; avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth; and staying home from work or school when sick.

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On the Net:
www.healthyarkansas.com
www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu