Cases of H1N1 flu seem to be tapering off at schools like Washington State University, where it is suspected of sickening more than 2,000 students, but health officials say the virus is here to stay and in fact never went away.

"It’s good the student population is becoming generally healthier at WSU – but it doesn’t mean they can let their guard down," Joe Quimby, senior press officer for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told FOXNews.com on Tuesday."And that same message goes for any other university, college, public school, city or town."

Schools in the Southeast have been especially hard hit and Quimby insists it’s because the schools have been in session for three to four weeks.

"It’s only a theory, but based on what we saw in the spring, and what we’re seeing in the Southeast … is that as more and more schools come into session we’ll continue to see the spread of H1N1."

"We had H1N1 influenza throughout the summer in summer camps, and now with colleges and schools coming back into session, we're seeing more cases," Frieden said.

The good news is that from everything we’ve seen, the virus doesn’t appear to have changed to become more deadly. That means that although it may affect lots of people, most people will not be severely ill.

The easiest way to steer clear of the flu this winter is to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and report symptoms if they get serious. Many are looking to the H1N1 Swine Flu vaccine to fight it too. Find out more ways to keep yourself healthy.