OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA (AP) -- With Oklahoma already among the states hardest hit by swine flu, state health officials are bracing for even more problems once the traditional seasonal flu season begins in about a month.
Two deaths in Oklahoma have been blamed on the swine flu, or novel H1N1 virus, and nearly 30 people have been hospitalized so far this month, including 13 children.
Oklahoma was one of the first dozen states in which the Centers for Disease Control said the virus was widespread. That list has since grown to 21 states, mostly in the south.
State epidemiologist Dr. Kristy Bradley says Oklahoma's traditional seasonal flu season generally begins in October. Although difficult to predict, Bradley says the state could see a second wave of traditional flu in the winter months.
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