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The latest government survey has found that one in five U.S. children had a flu-like illness earlier this month, and most of those cases likely were the H1N1 flu. A federal health official announced the findings Wednesday at a medical meeting in Atlanta. The information comes from a household survey... more »

Women waited in line Monday morning to get vaccinated at Community Medical Center 's H1N1 clinic for pregnant women. CMC and the Missoula City-County Health Department provided free vaccinations to pregnant women who live in Missoula County. Women who live outside the county, but have medical providers in Missoula were... more »

The H1N1 flu is putting a damper on Halloween plans at a Butte hospital. St. James Healthcare announced Wednesday that its annual Halloween party, Trick or Treat Street, is canceled due to the illness. "With the outbreak of the H1N1 influenza, we implemented visitor restrictions at the hospital to protect... more »

There's growing evidence that children are most vulnerable to the H1N1 flu, with new numbers from the Centers for Disease Control showing that over half of the H1N1 hospitalizations since September 1 st have been people under the age of 25. In addition, nearly a quarter of the deaths are... more »

Health officials say the first H1N1 vaccine clinic held Thursday night in the Mining City was a huge success. Even though hundreds of people gathered even before doors opened to get vaccinated Assistant Health Officer Karen Billson says no one was turned away. Of the 300 vaccines, 299 were administered... more »

The worst of the H1N1 flu outbreak appears to have passed at schools in Anaconda. The outbreak led to the closure of all schools on Friday, Oct. 9 when 25 percent of the student population was out sick. Schools reopened last Monday, but then closed again on Tuesday and Wednesday... more »

Lewis and Clark County has just received a pair of small shipments of the H1N1 nasal spray, and plan to hold a health clinic in Helena to distribute the vaccine. Health officials have 250 doses available, and the top priority is being given to healthy children between 2 and 4... more »

Like many other places across the country, long lines snaked for blocks with parents and children waiting to get vaccinated at the Missoula clinic on Friday. Hundreds of children did get the vaccine, but not without waiting for hours. The Missoula Health services department says with more disease and an... more »

Health clinics and the Butte-Silver Bow Health Department are being flooded with phone calls from residents asking about the vaccines for the H1N1 virus. As a result, the health department released the following information. First, because there is just a limited supply of the vaccine, it will not be made... more »

The first shipment of the injectable form of the H1N1 vaccine has arrived in Butte-Silver Bow. Butte-Silver Bow Assistant Health Officer Karen Billson says 100 doses arrived on Wednesday, along with another 200 doses of the nasal spray vaccine. Montana Tech received 50 doses of the nasal spray with the... more »

Parents waited in line for hours to get their children vaccinated against the H1N1 Flu in Kalispell on Thursday, and in just two hours over 400 doses were given out. Overall there were 1,000 nasal spray vaccines, along with a limited number of injectable vaccines, available for the clinic. "This... more »

The H1N1 flu vaccine has arrived in Missoula, but right now, it's only going out to residence halls on the University of Montana campus. Meanwhile, pharmacies around the Garden City are running out of the seasonal flu vaccine. That shortage comes as the H1N1 flu vaccine is beginning to arrive... more »

Health officials in Ravalli County are planning to hold another H1N1 vaccine clinic in the Bitterroot Valley. The event will be held on Friday from 1:30 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. at St. Francis Pastoral Life Center, which is located at 411 South Fifth Street in Hamilton. The H1N1 clinic is... more »

St. Peter's Hospital in Helena has closed visitation to anyone under the age of 24 as the H1N1 Flu keeps spreading. The Helena Independent Record reports one person died this week in Lewis and Clark County from complications from the virus. The hospital is also limiting visits to two people... more »

The nasal spray form of the H1N1 vaccine will be available in Montana in just days. The Center for Disease Control says the H1N1 vaccine is made using the same processes as the regular seasonal influenza, but scientists have isolated the new virus and modified it. The vaccine's... more »

The Centers for Disease Control have stopped requiring reports from counties and states on H1N1 cases, making it harder to measure the spread of the illness. But we do know that H1N1 and the seasonal flu are in north-central Montana, which is forcing businesses such as child-care centers to take... more »

Healthcare facilities in and around Great Falls are erring on the side of caution when it comes to the H1N1 flu virus. Benefis Health System on Wednesday began limiting who can visit patients, restricting access to only healthy adults over 18, but officials note that there will be some exceptions.... more »

Staff members at a Ronan hospital report that they have seen nine H1N1 Flu cases over the last six weeks. St. Luke Community Hospital CEO says one of their first priorities will be to vaccinate their employees to keep them from getting the flu. "If they don't or they refuse... more »

Schools in the Anaconda School District will not open Friday after multiple cases of H1N1 flu were reported there. The total number of students affected by the virus is not available at this time, but the district is reporting that about 25 percent of the students at most schools are... more »

By Patrik Jonsson As the H1N1 flu vaccine begins arriving at clinics around the country this week, Americans are confronting a difficult question: Is the risk of getting the swine flu higher than potential complications from a vaccination? Most US doctors say the new H1N1 vaccine, though quickly tested, is... more »

Cascade County is scheduled to receive it's first supply of H1N1 flu vaccine next week. The first form of the vaccine to be delivered is the nasal spray, and it can only be used by healthy people between 2 and 49-years old. The Montana Department of Public Health & Human... more »

The City of Missoula is receiving two different kinds of vaccine to fight the H1N1 virus. Doctors at Community Medical Center say one type is a nasal spray, the other is injectable. The first batch of the vaccine is going to the University of Montana, and when the second batch... more »

The Butte-Silver Bow Health Department is being inundated will calls about the H1N1 flu. To help answer some questions, the health department has offered the following recommendations from the CDC & DPHHS: - Testing off all persons with flu-like symptoms is not necessary. The only influenza that is circulating in... more »

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana says that it will cover the cost of giving out the swine flu vaccine to its members. The federal government is supplying the vaccine and BCBSMT says if a customer receives the H1N1 Flu vaccine from a health care provider who charges an... more »

Montana will receive its first shipment of the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine this week, Department of Public Health and Human Services officials announced Monday. The initial shipment of 5,400 doses is in the nasal spray form of the vaccine and is approved only for healthy people ages two to 49.... more »

Montana will receive its first shipment from the limited national supply of 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine this week, Department of Public Health and Human Services officials announced on Monday. "This first shipment represents a small percentage of the H1N1 vaccine Montana will eventually receive," DPHHS Director Anna Whiting Sorrell said.... more »

The H1N1 virus is in Ravalli County, but health officials are urging residents to stay calm. According to Public Health Officer Carol Calderwood, a handful of students in the Bitterroot Valley have tested positive for H1N1. She also added that almost every school district is seeing the H1N1 Flu. Ravalli... more »

Researchers at Rocky Mountain Labs in Hamilton are hard at work trying to determine what makes the H1N1 Flu more severe compared to the other flu types. RML Lead H1N1 Researcher Dr. Heinz Feldmann says that H1N1 is the fourth recorded pandemic in human history, and that researchers began studying... more »

The Gallatin City-County Health Department is suspending its flu vaccination clinics throughout the month of October due to vaccine shipment delays. The departments Tuesday and Thursday walk-in seasonal influenza vaccination clinics are temporarily suspended, according to a news release from the health department. "The Health Department has been notified that... more »

When you head to the gym for your workouts during this cold and flu season, you may be picking up unwanted germs as you lose unwanted pounds. Gym equipment can be a breeding ground for germs, but you can bulk up your immune system by taking the proper precautions according... more »

Officials with Missoula's Community Medical Center say that they've seen four confirmed cases of the H1N1 Flu this week alone. And those infected with the virus range in age from 13 to 16 years old. The number of cases compares to 147 confirmed cases in Montana and 41,000 cases nationwide... more »

The Flathead City-County Health Department has received the first shipment of the H1N1 influenza vaccine. The first shipment is a small percentage of what Flathead County will eventually receive and will come as a live virus nasal spray. The initial allotment of 500 doses of nasal spray will be administered... more »

There's been another confirmed case of the H1N1 virus in Missoula, this time in an assisted living center. Health officials have told us that the spread of the virus is largely 'word of mouth' at this point. Tracking H1N1 from week to week is difficult to do since not every... more »

If you never have before, this is the year to get a flu shot. And some people will need not just one shot, but two. That is the word from Gallatin County health officials that held a news conference Friday at the Health Department to answer questions and provide information... more »

The first case of the H1N1 influenza has been reported in Flathead County, but health department officials have not released specifics on the case. Flathead City-County Health Department officials did say that H1N1 is affecting both children and adults within the county, and that it also appears that the number... more »

Great Falls school and health officials are preparing for a possible outbreak of the H1N1 Flu. A letter went out today to parents in Great Falls explaining what the school district is doing now, and what they might do in the event of an outbreak. Health officials with the Obama... more »

Thousands of college students are about to begin fall classes and that has school administrators worried that kids who live in dorms may be especially vulnerable to illnesses such as the H1N1 Flu. Rhodes College in Tennessee is one school that's already putting a plan into effect for keeping students... more »

The first day of classes is just around the corner and many schools are stepping up efforts to reduce the spread of the H1N1, but word is coming out that there may not be enough vaccine to go around. The U.S. will only have less than half of its H1N1... more »

The first case of H1N1 flu, also known as swine flu, has been recorded in Lewis and Clark County. The Lewis and Clark County patient was not identified by age or gender, but a nurse at the Lewis and Clark City-County Health Department says the patient is doing well and... more »

Health officials in Ravalli County have confirmed the first case of H1N1 (Swine) Flu in the Bitterroot. Laboratory test confirmed that a "young female" has contracted H1N1. She contracted the illness in Montana, was not hospitalized and officials report that she is at home recovering. Ravalli County Health Department Director... more »

The first case of H1N1 flu has shown up in Lake County. The Lake County Public Health Department and CSKT Tribal Health departments have bot received laboratory confirmation the case in which turned up in a 69-year old female. Her symptoms included cough, sinus congestion, low grade fever, and body... more »

There will probably be more H1N1 virus cases in the fall and winter months, according to Flathead County health officials. The first confirmed case of H1N1 virus in Flathead County was a 6-year-old boy who had been traveling out of the area. His caregiver also had the same symptoms. The... more »

The first case of the H1N1 flu, also known as the Swine flu, is confirmed in Missoula County. The Missoula City-County Health Department received laboratory confirmation of an H1N1 case in a Missoula resident late Friday. Health Officer Ellen Leahy says the patient is a 34-year-old man who is recovering... more »

The H1N1 Virus has made its way to Montana's Hi-Line. There are now 4 confirmed cases of H1N1 in Montana, three in Yellowstone County and one in Hill County. The Department of Public Health and Human Services reports that all four people who have contracted the H1N1 (swine) Flu are... more »

There was a reported flu scare in Montana Friday -- according to a press release by the Department of Public Health and Human Services two schools were closed today in Wheatland County because of an "outbreak of a virus". The local health department was contacted. Testing of several of the... more »

The University of Montana says they are in daily contact with the Missoula City County Health Department to ensure up to date information on the swine flu outbreak. UM actively participates in Missoula's county-wide pandemic influenza planning process. UM is also an active member of The Health Emergency Advisory Team,... more »

A never-before seen strain of Swine Flu has turned deadly in Mexico and is causing milder illness in the U.S. and across the globe. World governments are now racing to find and contain pockets of the deadly virus face both the threat of a pandemic and public panic. The virus... more »

Remember: some of the information in the websites linked below is not necessarily authoritative; while most members of the online and medical/scientific communities work very hard to post only accurate data, others are not as careful. If something that you read seems unduly alarming or rings false, do some more... more »

from The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention What is H1N1? H1N1 is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. People do not normally get H1N1, but human infections can and do happen. H1N1 viruses have been reported to spread... more »