Health officials say that despite fewer reports of swine flu cases and fatalities in recent weeks, another wave of H1N1 may be on the horizon for Maryland and the United States.

In a statement released Feb. 25, the World Health Organization announced that the pandemic has not waned.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concurs that a third wave may be making the rounds.

The disease first made its mark in Maryland last April, when six people from Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties were diagnosed with "probable" cases of swine flu. Before the month ended, five more individuals, two of whom were Montgomery County residents, received the same diagnosis.

Rockville High School was shut down on May 1 after a student was diagnosed with a probable case of swine flu.

In all, 43 people have died from swine flu in Maryland, while 1,060 have been hospitalized, according to the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Web site.

According to statistics compiled by the CDC, roughly 57 million individuals were infected with the H1N1 virus between April and Jan. 16, resulting in approximately 257,000 hospitalizations and 11,690 deaths.

"It wouldn't be surprising to see another peak this year," said Marita Mike, health director at the University of Maryland Center for Health and Homeland Security. "When you look at flu outbreaks in the past, there were multiple peaks."

Since a vaccine became available in October, the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services has administered more than 30,000 doses in the county with a population of almost one million people, said Mary Anderson, the department's public information officer.

Early vaccination clinics set up by the county drew long lines where most people were turned away.

Short lines, ample vaccine doses and timing are incentives for individuals to get vaccinated now, health officials say.

The county offers vaccinations for free, and appointments can be made online or by telephone.

"This is a great time to get vaccinated," said Anderson. "No one is going to have to wait in line, unlike October and November."

Officials urge residents to get vaccinated before the next wave rolls around.

"The best time to get vaccinated is before everyone gets sick," Mike said. "We saw this flu start initially in the summer."

She said it takes time to allow a vaccine to come into complete effect. "It takes a couple of weeks for your immune system to catch up on the immunity [you get from a vaccination]."

A major concern facing the swine flu pandemic in the United States is getting the African-American community vaccinated, according to health officials.

In Boston, African Americans make up 25 percent of the city's population, but accounted for 37 percent of the city's swine flu cases last year, according to an online report from the city's Public Health Commission.

In Los Angeles County, less than 3 percent of the 200,000 vaccines that were distributed went to African Americans, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

According to the flu.gov Web site, a study conducted by the University of Michigan showed that of the 40 percent of parents who intended on getting their children vaccinated against the H1N1 virus, 52 percent were Hispanic, 38 percent were white and 30 percent were black parents.

While Montgomery County health officials did not have statistics on the breakdown of who got immunizations by press time, Montgomery County is seeing the same problem in its black population, they said.

"We think our community bears out nationally," Anderson said.

Are African Americans at greater risk of catching Swine Flu? Mike said the answer is "yes and no."

"Flu doesn't have color," Mike said. "Race by itself doesn't mean anything. No race is susceptible as opposed to another."

Individuals with preexisting health conditions, including asthma and diabetes, are at greater risk for infection, and those diseases are more prevalent in African Americans, Mike said.

Montgomery County residents interested in making an appointment to receive the H1N1 vaccination (nasal spray or injection) throughout March and April can visit the Department of Health and Human Services Web site at

www.montgomerycountymd.gov/

hhstmpl.asp?url=/content/hhs/

index.asp. Individuals can also make appointments by calling 240-777-1050 Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.