SC Among States Reporting ‘widespread’ Swine Flu

    COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina is back among the list of states reporting the swine flu is widespread.
    For the past few weeks, South Carolina has been among few states reporting the flu was regional, the second-highest level. That’s been upgraded in this week’s report, which covers Oct. 25-31.
    An infectious disease expert says the caseload never really dipped.
    Dr. Helmut Albrecht of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine says the dip was largely due to delayed reporting. He says family doctors were so busy, they weren’t able to turn in their numbers in time.
    Jim Beasley, a spokesman for the state’s health agency, says doctors are reporting influenza-like illness, but the only flu seen in South Carolina now is the H1N1 virus.