SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - The flu season in Utah has hospitalized 77 people.
"My mother who is elderly she had the flue," said Emily Culpepper from Kansas.
"We have some grandchildren and great grandchildren. The whole family has been sick," said Verla Starkey from Kaysville.
The number of hospitalizations is up this year and the number is going to grow. Rebecca Ward with the Utah Department of Health is monitoring the virus as it spreads across the nation.
"We could see and probably will see more cases of influenza occurring, but we have no way of predicting how severe it will be," Ward said.
She says the H3N2 strain is causing the majority of problems. She says the vaccination prevents it from spreading.
Only a few of the hospitalizations are caused by flu strains not in the vaccine this year.
"If you haven't gotten vaccinated now is the time to do it before we see a really big increase," said Ward.
The flu season spans from October to May. With five months to go we on track to see an active flu season ahead.
Click on the attached link for more information about how you can protect your family from the flu this year.
