The hype seems to be fading around the flu formerly known as swine, at least in Cayuga County.

So far, local communities have been spared any major impact from what health officials have called a worldwide outbreak of the H1N1 strain of influenza.

As the virus' spread slows and health officials ease up on recommendations over school closures, local health and disaster officials are seeing concern dwindle close to home.

“We have had very limited reaction from members of the public,” Kathleen Cuddy of the county Department of Health said Wednesday. “People are not overreacting.”

There have been few calls to the county's hot line for H1N1, and little has been submitted as far as public comment, Cuddy said.

A complete no show by community members Wednesday for an informational presentation about the disease sponsored by the local Red Cross was perhaps another example of the low level of concern. Red Cross officials also said they have not received many inquiries from the public during the past two weeks over H1N1.

Cuddy said such responses have shown the preparedness of local health and educational organizations.

“I would attribute that to good information getting out there,” Cuddy said. “I think people are aware.”

As of Wednesday, no cases of H1N1 have been suspected in the county, Cuddy said. No schools have closed as a response to concerns over the new virus.

Those numbers contrast with Onondaga County, where Ed Smith Elementary School was closed and a case was confirmed and Cortland County, where a separate case has also been confirmed.

So far, the state has seen 97 confirmed cases, with 80 of those concentrated in New York City.

Originally called “swine flu” because of its genetic similarities to a flu virus found in pigs, the most recent strain of H1N1 was first detected in the United States in April. It has since reached 41 states and caused two deaths in the United States, according to the Center of Disease Control.

The CDC announced Wednesday that it no longer recommends schools close when a case is confirmed locally. State health officials also said Wednesday that the state Department of Health will be scaling back its briefings on the status of the disease.

The state health department will begin to move toward monitoring the virus the same way it does for the seasonal flu, Health Commissioner Richard Daines said during a teleconference with the press. That means officials will focus on overall trends and patters and watch for more severe cases of the illness, he said.

“We are not seeing an increase in severity,” Daines said.

The symptoms of this strain of flu have shown to be similar to seasonal flu - fever, aches and pains, cough, sore throat and fatigue. While a vaccine for this strain has not been developed yet, health officials say it responds to anti-viral medications meant for seasonal flu.

Staff writer Christopher Caskey can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or christopher.caskey@lee.net.