By DEANNA POGORELC
Staff Writer

     The message from state health officials Thursday was that the spread of H1N1 has declined over the past few weeks, but it’s still too early to tell if this will be the end of the pandemic.
     State epidemiologist Pam Pontones said the results of the state’s flu surveillance are encouraging. For the third continuous week, the state has reported decreasing numbers of people visiting emergency rooms and sentinel provider clinics.
     One local doctor, Dr. James Hanus of Parkview Medical Group in South Whitley, said he has also observed this trend, estimating a 35 to 40 percent decline in flu-related symptoms in his patients.
     In a report issued Wednesday, the Indiana State Department of Health reported six confirmed influenza-related deaths last week, all of which were due to H1N1. The number of deaths was up from the previous week, but Pontones said it is typical to see a lag time between when hospitalizations peak and when death rates peak.
     Since June, Indiana has seen 28 deaths due to H1N1, at least 20 of which were people under the age of 49.
Despite encouraging numbers, Pontones said the state is still seeing high levels of flu activity and needs to continue taking the necessary precautions, as there are still several months of the traditional flu season left.
     Pontones said the holiday season could be good or bad for the spread of H1N1. On one hand, flu activity could increase as people travel to other communities and mingle with different people. On the other hand, she said, numbers could decrease as people spend more time outside of school and work settings where a large number of people are contained in a closed space.
     A total of 438,856 Hoosiers have been reported as vaccinated for H1N1 as of Nov. 16, according to the report, and Whitley County citizens make up 2,914 of those.
     The Whitley County Health Department held a flu clinic Thursday, during which another estimated 300 H1N1 immunizations were given, according to the department.
     In response to questions about the shortage of H1N1 vaccines, Joan Duwve, the state’s medical director for public health, said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has promised there will be sufficient H1N1 vaccines to vaccinate the general public this flu season.
     Duwve said she is proud of the work the county health departments have done in reaching out to their communities to prevent the spread of H1N1. No schools in the state reported high levels of absences last week, she said.

     Linda Hoskins contributed to this story.