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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Health officials say they will no longer provide a daily tally of deaths associated with the swine flu in Utah.
It's up to the state's 12 local health departments to decide how they report swine flu-related deaths. So far, the deaths have been announced as they are confirmed.
Now the Utah Department of Health plans to make an announcement once a week -- on Wednesdays -- reporting the number of deaths and hospitalizations associated with the virus.
There have been eight deaths associated with swine flu in Utah, six of those in about the last week. On Friday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta reported 87 deaths across the United States.
Tom Hudachko, state health department spokesman, says announcing the deaths on a daily basis could dilute the public health message because people will start tuning out the reports.
Health officials say an unusual number of deaths could warrant making a special report.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
