State health officials are urging residents to get their flu shots, with the flu season already starting to pick up in Wisconsin.
So far this year, Wisconsin Department of Health Services spokesperson Claire Smith says elderly patients seem to be getting hit hardest. “Quite a number of the hospitalizations are in the elderly. That’s a majority, and with the H3 strain it tends to hit the elderly harder.” Since the start of October, 20 hospitalizations due to the flu have been recorded in the state, and that number is expected to rise as the winter months approach.
Smith says getting the flu shot is good for you and those around you. She says “if you’re around people who are in a high risk group, you know people who are over age 65, have weakened immune systems, have chronic medical conditions, you not only want to get it to protect yourself but to also help from potentially spreading the flu to them.”
If you do manage to get infected, stay home. “Get rest, don’t be out there and infect others.” Smith says you can spread the flu even before you exhibit symptoms, and kids heading to school and workers heading to the office are great ways to pass the flu around.
WSAU