The flu season season is past its peak, CDC reports

<br>ATLANTA (AP) _ The worst of the U.S. flu season appears to be over. <br><br>Flu cases seem to have peaked in late February and dropped steadily since then, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Thursday, April 4th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

ATLANTA (AP) _ The worst of the U.S. flu season appears to be over.

Flu cases seem to have peaked in late February and dropped steadily since then, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday.

At the peak, more than 25 percent of possible flu specimens sent to a nationwide network of doctors and labs tested positive for the virus. That number has since fallen to about 20 percent.

The CDC does not keep a tally of actual flu cases. Still, the 2001-02 flu season appears to be lighter than average, said Dr. Scott Harper of CDC's National Center for Infectious Diseases.

This year's batch of flu vaccine was well-matched against this year's most common strains.

Flu kills as many as 20,000 Americans each year.