Phil Rooney, Spokesman for the Douglas County Health Department, says the flu is a serious disease and it needs to be taken seriously.
If you haven’t had your flu shot, the health department advises you do so as there are several months left in the flu season.
Rooney says this year has seen quite a few more flu cases than in years prior.
That’s because the Type A H3N2 strain that people have been coming down with is more serious than other strains.
And Rooney says even though the flu shot may not be a perfect match this year, it does make the flu less intense if you catch it.
"We’ve had 2006 cases confirmed. Of those, 423 came during the past week. It’s important for people to realize these are just people who are sick enough to call the doctor and be tested. We know anecdotally of course that there are a lot of people who wake up in the morning, they are sick and they think they’ve got the flue so they stay home in bed a few days until they get over it.”
Rooney reminds everyone it takes two weeks for the flu vaccine to be fully effective. He says the health department advises you to stay home if you are sick.
To protect yourself you should make sure you wash your hands regularly, cover your cough, drink lots of water and get plenty of sleep.
The health department confirms five deaths in Douglas County from the flu so far this season. More information is available at CDC.gov/flu.