FLU CASES LEVELING OFF, BUT SECOND WAVE LIKELY

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, January 11, 1992                   TAG: 9201110307
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A6   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
FLU CASES LEVELING OFF, BUT SECOND WAVE LIKELY
New cases of influenza and related illnesses are leveling off across Virginia after an unusual peak in December, state health officials said Friday.
But they predict the virus may cause a second wave of illnesses before flu season ends.
"Flu season usually peaks in January or February. It wouldn't surprise me if we have a second wave of it," said Suzanne Jenkins, assistant state epidemiologist.
Weekly checks by the state Department of Health for flu infection still show thousands of new cases, but the numbers are not increasing, officials said.
In central Virginia, new cases have fallen off since mid-December, Jenkins said.
"Two or three weeks ago it was pretty bad. It seems to have abated somewhat in the last week or so," said Arnold Barr, deputy director of the Norfolk Health Department.
Still, doctors in many parts of the state say their offices are flooded with patients complaining of the flu, strep throat or respiratory viruses.
At the University of Virginia Hospital, a spokesman said the flu is the major reason for a sharp increase in admissions. The hospital has been between 94 percent and 98 percent full all week, spokesman Tom Doran said.
Statewide, specific case numbers are hard to figure. Many cases go unreported and the Health Department does not count every documented case of the virus. Health officials conduct weekly spot checks at health clinics and doctors' offices to estimate the virus' progress and severity.
The state tracks both influenza and related respiratory ailments. Influenza is a potentially fatal virus that if left untreated can progress to pneumonia.
"You have to distinguish between flu and flu-like illnesses," Jenkins said. "Actual influenza makes people pretty sick. They are going to feel like they cannot move for several days and they may be laid up for several weeks."
The Centers for Disease Control said the flu bug is widespread across the South. Most cases are influenza A, a type with one asset: It can be effectively battled with medication.
The flu first hit Virginia in early November, about three weeks earlier than usual.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB