Swine flu is still circulating nationwide but seems to be more highly concentrated in the southeast U.S., according to officials at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

States like Georgia, Florida and Mississippi are seeing the highest rates of infection, which isn’t too surprising since school started there earlier than in other parts of the country, Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immunization & Respiratory Diseases, said today in a conference call with reporters.

On Friday, 24 schools primarily in those areas dismissed children early from school because of flu outbreaks, Schuchat said.

In other flu news, the seasonal flu vaccine is now available at some local drugstores and doctors’ offices. The swine flu vaccine is still expected to become available in mid-October. Doctors are recommending that most people get the full series of both vaccines. For more information, visit www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu