time last year, numbers appear to be dropping off as warmer weather sets in.

According to the Department of Health, there have been 700 reported flu cases to date -- a 43 percent increase over this time last year.

But Dr. Brenda Davidson of the Health Department said those figures should not be taken out of context as flu stats vary quite widely from year to year.

"It does fluctuate quite a bit,'' she said. "That's something you would expect with any virus.'' Reported cases peaked in the last week of January with 116 cases.

King Edward VII Memorial Hospital emergency room physician Dr. Edward Schultz said the period through the end of December and into early January tends to be peak flu season.

The most recent stats seem to bear that out with reported cases falling steadily each month.

There were 338 cases reported in January, 231 in February and 117 this month.

Last week reported cases fell to just 13 before jumping slightly to 19 this week.

Dr. Schultz said the emergency room had been busy in recent weeks but not as a result of the flu. More people have been coming to the hospital with very bad chest colds and coughs.

"A lot of flu cases don't come to the emergency room,'' he said. "We only tend to see them if they develop secondary infections.'' And Dr. Davidson suggested many people might have taken a little longer to get over the flu this year due to complications from those illnesses.