Although state health officials in Ohio are calling the outbreak of swine flu a "pandemic," they also admit there's been little in the way of testing for it.
A spokesman for the Ohio Department of Health claimed the state normally does not keep up to date records on flu-related illnesses. They are also not required to report adult deaths related to the flu.
Instead, officials perform what they called "surveillance," collecting information from all around the state.
"We look at hospital admissions. We look at emergency room visits, and with all of these data parts, we get an idea of what kind of activity we have in the state," said spokesman Kris Weiss.
Weiss said the department does sample testing around the state to determine which flu strains are circulating at any given time, claiming the "vast majority" of recent samples are showing the presence of H1N1.
But despite the lack of more hard data, officials claimed they're seeing enough evidence to support the actions they've been taking.
