Rating:

5.0 (1 vote)

Health officials say that H1N1 and other influenza-like illnesses are taking a nose dive in the New Year.

Greg Oliver with the Missoula City County Health Department says H1N1 hit hard in 2009 and is declining by the minute.

"We probably saw the major peak in October and then it's been slowly declining. This hit higher than what we usually see, but it did it fast."

He added that just as the H1N1 infection rate peaked, it's declining at the same rate, both in Missoula and on a national level.

Health department numbers show that nearly 20% of the Missoula population received the vaccine last year and the virus may have run it's course, but Oliver says they're still keeping a close eye on it, especially with college students returning to school after the winter break.

The Health Department is also calling parents to remind them to get booster shots for their children.

The seasonal flu, unlike H1N1, has yet to show up in the United States. "There's no other kind of flu that's happened except for H1N1 and no sign yet that it's gonna happen, which would be unusual to not have the other flu season start" Oliver added.

The Missoula City County Health Department will be holding a clinic for University students on January 29th. For more information call the Health Department at (406) 258.4636.