To the editor:

After reading the article about H1N1 virus in Thursday’s paper, I had some concerns about the lack of information contained in the article. I called the Douglas County Health Department to find out the current number of probable/possible cases reported since Saturday’s reported number of 47.

I was told that the health department is not testing for the virus or keeping track of the number of possible/probable cases of the virus, only the number of confirmed cases, which was 12. I then called Watkins Health Clinic and asked them about the current number of probable/possible cases of H1N1 that had been reported. The number of probable/possible cases reported was at 142.

The public health groups are stressing hand washing to reduce your exposure. If people don’t see or hear about the increased number of probable/possible cases, the importance of taking the necessary precautions to limit exposure will be greatly reduced. We depend on our news sources to provide us with as much information possible so we can make informed decisions. The Journal-World article could have provided more information.