1-6-15 flu epidemic

The Centers for Disease Control says the flu is at an epidemic across the country…and locally the cases are up.  Fond du Lac County Public Health Officer Kim Mueller stops short of calling the situation an epidemic in Fond du Lac County…but says there are far more cases this year compared to last year at this time.  Mueller says the scary thing is that nationwide 15 children have died from influenza.  She says cases of the flu tend to spike this time of year when family and friends gather for the holidays and says people need to take precautions to prevent the flu from spreading.  “The best thing you can do is to protect yourself.  Get the flu vaccine if you haven’t already.  The next best thing would be to wash your hands often and thoroughly, soap and water, and stay home when you’re sick.”    Health officials say the flu is rampant in most of the country and could peak soon.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday reported flu was widespread in 43 states and flu activity was intense in most of them. A CDC expert said those trends are expected to continue.