123 new flu cases reported statewide Health officials say flu activity in Wyoming is at peak winter levels and all confirmed cases over the past month have been swine flu.Flu cases increased sharply in Park County this week, with at least a dozen cases reported on Tuesday, up dramatically from only two cases a few days before.

State epidemiologist Dr. Tracy Murphy said Tuesday the unusual number of cases in early fall can be attributed to swine (H1N1) flu, a new strain of the virus.

Statewide, 123 new flu cases were reported on Tuesday. The new cases include the first case of swine flu in a person 65 or older in Wyoming.

More than 590 flu cases have been reported statewide since late May. Health officials believe reported cases make up a small portion of actual cases.

Murphy says most people with flu probably have swine flu.

Swine flu has contributed to 11 hospitalizations and one death in Wyoming since late May.

Influenza symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headaches and fatigue. Some patients have also reported diarrhea and vomiting.

“The good news is that we are not seeing a shift in severity of the illnesses. Most people who become ill with novel H1N1 flu are able to recover fully within a few days,” Murphy said.

Robin Roling told the Powell Valley Healthcare board on Monday that the new H1N1 strain has proved so mild that the hospital's existing pandemic flu plan does not provide an appropriate response guide.

Park County health officals plan to revise the county's plan this week to make it more applicable to what they are seeing now, she said.

The plan was developed last year to provide a response strategy for a global pandemic that caused serious illness and a large number of hospitalizations and possible fatalities, such as might occur with a mass outbreak of the bird flu.

Although swine flu was declared pandemic several weeks ago, the response plan does not apply to what Park County is experiencing with this virus, she said.