H1N1 influenza cases in Allegheny County continue to rise, prompting the county Health Department to conclude that the flu has yet to reach its peak.

In last week's survey of eight local emergency rooms, more than 10 percent of all patients seeking treatment complained of flu-like illness, department spokesman Guillermo Cole said.

But this week, the percentage has climbed above 13.

Six percent of emergency-room cases involved H1N1 last spring, with the county recording about 2 percent in early August.

Since early September, the numbers have been climbing dramatically, indicating the worldwide H1N1, or swine flu, pandemic has hit the region with full force.

While health officials originally suspected that H1N1 would run its course in eight to 12 weeks, the rising number of cases after six or seven weeks suggests that the flu might be more persistent and hang around longer that expected.

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