Flu waning in West Michigan

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - The flu is on the wane in West Michigan and across the state, but health officials say it's too soon to say it has peaked.

And, despite dramatic drops in people with flu-like symptoms, the numbers are still higher than in past flu seasons, state and local health officials tell 24 Hour News 8.

The number of people with flu-like symptoms -- not necessarily H1N1 -- dropped to 154 in Kent County last week, down from more than 4,800 during the previous week.

During the first week of November, health officials confirmed 24 new cases of H1N1 in County, down from 39 the week before.

Declines also were reported in Kalamazoo, Allegan and Muskegon counties.

Across the state, the number of cases of reported flu-like symptoms was cut nearly in half last week, with 26,868 cases, compared to the previous week.

"It's encouraging," Kent County Health Department spokeswoman Bridie Bereza said. "But we can't say it's going to peak; we don't know if there will be another wave of it."

The drop could be due to "interventions," she said: Sick people staying home from work or school; hand-washing and flu shots.

Since early October, Kent County has distributed 94,500 H1N1 vaccines -- to health-care workers and to high-risk patients.

Nearly 10,000 of those were given at clinics over the last two Saturdays. Another 5,000 people have signed up for H1N1 shots Saturday at the Sheldon and Fuller clinics in Grand Rapids, Bereza said.

Reported flu-like symptoms
                        Nov. 1-7                  Nov. 8-14
Kent                 4,844                            154
Kalamazoo         719                              33
Allegan                 620                            284
Muskegon        3,519                          2,017


Total state         51,497                         26,868