Holiday flu cases spike; ways to protect yourself

Local physicians are seeing an increased number of people with the flu and respiratory infections this holiday season.

News Center 7's Gabrielle Enright talked with Greene County Public Health about ways to protect yourself from getting sick.

“We encourage everyone six months of age and all the way up to get a flu shot, unless there is a medical condition and your local doctor tells you no don’t get it,” said Amy Schmidtt.

The flu season usually begins in October and peaks between December to February, but can last through May.

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Health officials say the best way to keep germs from spreading is to wash your hands often and stay away from others when you are sick.

“We know washing hands saves lives right, and we wash our hands with running water, soap, friction and we do it for about 20 seconds,” Schmidtt said.

The latest numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found so far this flu season that there have been 3.7 million flu cases, 32,000 people have been hospitalized and 1,800 people have died.