Flu may have hit peak

Is the worst of Canterbury’s flu season almost over?

According to this week’s data and the region’s medical officer of health, the answer is a cautious ‘‘hopefully’’.

Flu statistics for the region this week show a decrease from about 200 per 100,000 to 185 per 100,000 people reported to be suffering from the flu. Canterbury and South Canterbury had been well above the national average for several weeks.

The general national average is 100 per 100,000.

Last week, flu rates were said to have reached epidemic levels across New Zealand, with rates approaching levels not seen since the deadly 2012 outbreak.

On Sunday, 41-year-old Christchurch mother Correna Healey died a week after contracting the flu and later developing pneumonia.

Canterbury medical officer of health Alistair Humphrey was cautiously optimistic about the figures. ‘‘It’s good news,’’ he said. ‘‘But sometimes you get a solid drop and it goes back up again, especially with kids going back to school.’’

Humphrey said while Canterbury’s rate was ‘‘still up there’’, the prevalent influenza type B strain in the South Island was affecting more people and could be the cause of the spike.

‘‘The B strain has a wider spread of affected people, there’s a lot more younger people.

‘‘I remain hopeful that it’s going to continue to fall.’’

South Canterbury had also seen a drop, while rates continued to climb on the West Coast.

South Island centres seemed to be the exception, as figures released on Thursday showed reported flu-like illness continuing to rise nationally, with 345 cases in the past week, up from 319.

The Ministry of Health continued to stress it was a ‘‘normal flu season’’, following two mild ones.

Ministry chief medical officer Dr Don Mackie said 2015 influenza activity was ‘‘at the higher end of the normal seasonal range’’.