
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, April 12, 1991                   TAG: 9104120338
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ATLANTA                                LENGTH: Short

LATE-WINTER FLU COULD BE WARNING FOR NEXT SEASON

Parts of the United States saw an upswing in flu at the end of an otherwise mild winter this year, and the flu types involved could signal a rougher season next year, federal health officials said Thursday.

Most of the winter's flu cases were the type researchers know as Type B flu. That type historically does not hit hard among the elderly, who are at greatest risk of severe illness and death from influenza.

But since mid-February, some locales, particularly in the West, have seen a slight increase in both of the two major Type A flus, the national Centers for Disease Control reported.

"The flu virologists refer to this kind of upswing as a `herald wave,' because it's often a predictor of what's going to be coming in the coming season," said Dr. Louisa Chapman, a CDC epidemiologist.

And one of the two flu types in the upswing can be a particular problem for older people, she said. The 1989-90 flu season "was one of the biggest flu seasons in 10 years in terms of mortality, and that was predominantly an A-H3N2 year," she said.

by CNB