Health Officials: Influenza No Longer Prevalent In NY

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — For the first time since before Christmas, influenza is no longer deemed prevalent in New York state.

State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker made the announcement Thursday as one of the worst flu seasons in years winds down.

Zucker had declared the flu prevalent in the state on Dec. 13. Cases continued to rise over the next two months. They peaked around Feb. 17 when state health officials said there were more than 18,000 laboratory-confirmed cases reported across New York in one week.

Officials say those numbers had fallen to below 460 as of last week.

Overall, 128,000 lab-confirmed flu cases have been reported, with more than 23,000 people being hospitalized. The flu has been blamed for six pediatric deaths this season.