Area health and public officials agree that swine flu likely is here, but they aren't treating it differently than other types of flu.
That could be welcome news to members of the public attempting to make sense of the seemingly ever-changing swath of information regarding the virus, which is more formally known as H1N1.
In Fulton County, for example, Nathan Littauer Hospital is not testing for swine flu, which means there are not really any confirmed cases now. School district officials have said they are remaining open, and have said there is no one in their schools who officially has the new version of the flu.
But schools have reported higher numbers of absences. Gloversville Enlarged School District Superintendent Robert DeLilli said the virus has probably affected people who attend his district's schools.
"There are people out there-students [and] adults with flu-like symptoms," he said. "It's possible it's the H1N1."
But he said it is impossible to know whether that is the case if there is no testing.
Nathan Littauer Hospital Chief of Emergency Medicine Dr. Todd Duthaler said in order for health officials to test for the virus, they would have to submit samples to the state Department of Health lab.
He said there is no real reason to do that.
"It is likely in the area," he said of swine flu. "It's just not being tested because we would be flooding the state lab with thousands of samples a day, and it really doesn't change the treatment for the illness."
The hospital is doing rapid flu testing of patients, but Duthaler said it is inaccurate with regard to diagnosing H1N1. It does not make much of a distinction between H1N1 and regular seasonal flu.
There have been more people coming in lately, however, with flu-like symptoms, Duthaler said.
Meanwhile, Northampton Supervisor Linda Kemper, a member of the Board of Supervisors' Health Services Committee, said the Fulton County Public Health Department is planning to hold a swine flu vaccine clinic Wednesday by appointment only. The clinic is for members of high-risk groups, such as pregnant women, people ages 6 months to 24 years and people ages 25 to 64 with pre-existing medical conditions.
"Before they give the shot, or make an appointment, they have to be qualified," Kemper said.
She said county Public Health officials hope to not need to hold any more clinics, and said people who want the vaccine likely will need to get it from their private doctors.
Officials from Fulton County Public Health were unavailable to comment on the matter.
There also will be an option for uninsured individuals. The county Board of Supervisors approved a contract between Public Health and Nathan Littauer Hospital on Nov. 9 that will allow people to receive H1N1 vaccines for $15 each. Details of that program also were unavailable.
Montgomery County Community Health Educator Debbie Voght said her department will hold clinics at St. Mary's Family Health Centers in Amsterdam and Canajoharie on Saturday. She said county Public Health has enough of the vaccine to last for those clinics, and will use additional vaccine for future clinics once it receives it.
It is up to the state to send the vaccine, and Voght said the department is at its mercy in terms of getting more. She said she hopes private medical providers will be able to administer the vaccine to their patients once more is available.
She cautioned against people getting too worked up over the virus.
"It's just like any other flu season," she said. "It's just another virus."