US swine flu victims had chronic health problems By MIKE STOBBE – 7 hours ago ATLANTA (AP) — Health officials have released details about the chroni

US swine flu victims had chronic health problems
By MIKE STOBBE – 7 hours ago ATLANTA (AP) — Health officials have released details about the chroni

With mostly mild cases of swine flu in the United States, swine flu fears are lessening. But viruses have a way of re-appearing. While nobody has a crystal ball, here are some thoughts about what the 2009 H1N1 virus might do in the months to come.

Don't pack your face masks just yet. Public health officials expect the 2009 H1N1 virus to linger a while.

1. Is the swine flu outbreak in the United States winding down?

Not yet. Health officials expect to see more cases.

However, there are two reasons to think the 2009 H1N1 outbreak will wind down in the coming weeks. First, cases of influenza tend to dwindle when the weather gets warmer. Second, the 2009 H1N1 virus outbreak in Mexico has reached its peak, and numbers there are going down. It is expected that same pattern could happen in the United States. For the latest information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, click here. Look at a map of swine flu cases »

2. So does this mean 2009 H1N1 will be gone for good?

No. Andrew Pekosz, associate professor of immunology and microbiology at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, says it's important to keep in mind that the 2009 H1N1 virus is new, which means no one has immunity to it. He points out that the three outbreaks in the last century that were caused by new viruses -- in 1918, 1957 and 1968 -- started with a mild wave followed by more severe waves months later. Scientists dig for lessons from past pandemics

3. If swine flu comes back, when would it return?

"H1N1 flu could die down soon and return later again this fall when the flu season enters back in full swing," says Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. "This is always a concern with a new strain of a flu virus." Watch more answers to your swine flu questions »

Napolitano adds that public health officials will be keeping a close eye on the Southern Hemisphere, where flu season starts soon. "We'll be working very closely with the international community to understand what happens to this virus over the next few months as flu season begins in the Southern Hemisphere," she says. "That will tell us a lot about whether the virus is changing, whether it's becoming more severe and what measures we might want to take in the fall." For the latest comments from Napolitano, click here.