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By Tom Randall Dec. 4 (Bloomberg) — Swine flu rates declined for the fifth straight week, with the lowest number of reported hospitalizations and deaths in more than two months, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Visits to U.S. doctors for influenza-like illness declined to the lowest level in three months as the flu retreated in seven states in the week ended Nov. 28, the CDC said on its Web Site . Twenty-five states reported widespread activity, down from at least 46 in November. Swine flu, known as H1N1, was first identified in April and swept the globe at an unprecedented rate. The illness prompted governments to activate pandemic-mitigation plans including the biggest-ever flu vaccination program. The illness causes symptoms similar to seasonal flu in most instances though the number of cases remains higher than usual for this time of year. “Although the swine flu appears to be dying out, it’s a wait-and-see question on what’s going to happen with seasonal flu this winter” in the northern hemisphere, said Kurt Krause, director of the Webster Centre for Infectious Diseases at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, in a Dec. 2 interview. Swine flu is killing fewer of those who fall ill with the virus than seasonal flu, according to CDC estimates in mid- October that 3,900 people died of the 22 million infected. People older than age 65, who make up 90 percent of seasonal flu deaths, are less likely to be infected with swine flu than other strains, according to the CDC. Children Susceptible Children are more vulnerable to the H1N1 virus than seasonal flu. There have been 251 pediatric deaths since the new strain emerged in April, about six times the annual childhood flu toll, said Thomas Frieden , director of the Atlanta-based CDC, in a conference call today. There are 73 million doses of vaccine now available to states, with more coming, Frieden said. Some areas have enough vaccine to begin administering it to healthy adults, he said. Previously, the shot was aimed at people most at risk: pregnant women, children and those younger than 25, and people with chronic health conditions. Vaccine safety monitoring shows it continues to be as safe as seasonal influenza vaccine, Frieden said today. “We’re still in a period of changing gears, from a time of not having enough vaccine,” to a time of having adequate supply for anyone to receive shots, Frieden said. Seasonal flu kills about 36,000 people in the U.S. each year, according to the CDC. Scientists are split whether a repeat wave of swine flu may come or if seasonal flu will have its usual impact in the next few months, Frieden said last week. To contact the reporters on this story: Tom Randall in New York at trandall6@bloomberg.net