Topeka ? Kansas health officials aren’t surprised that swine flu has been declared a pandemic.

Jason Eberhart-Phillips, the state health director, said the World Health Organization action Thursday is an important reminder the flu is still around. The global organization said since it was first detected in late April in Mexico and the United States, swine flu has reached 74 countries, infecting nearly 29,000 people.

Kansas has 98 reported swine flu cases in 16 counties. Geary County has the most cases with 25 reported, followed by Riley County with 23. Most of the cases have been mild.

The decision confirms that the first flu pandemic in more than 40 years is under way in at least two continents.