Fri, Dec 30, 2005 (7:36 a.m.)

Flu has arrived in Southern Nevada.

Last week seven out of every 100 patients seen by local doctors and medical clinics had symptoms of the flu, but this week the numbers have jumped to 50 or more per 100, said Dr. Thomas Hunt, chairman of the Family and Community Medicine Department at the University of Nevada School of Medicine.

"It's here," Hunt said. "People have been coming into doctors' offices like gangbusters this week."

Hunt's department acts as an information-gathering center, working with the Clark County Health District, to track flu in the area.

California, Arizona, Utah and Oregon have reported flu outbreaks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

In a typical season, Clark County's flu cases peak around the Christmas and New Year's holidays, Hunt said. In general, flu tapers off in Southern Nevada by the end of February.

For more information on Health District flu clinics and vaccine availability, call the flu information line at 385-INFO (4636).

Mary Manning can be reached at 259-4065 or at manning@lasvegassun.com.

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