Flu Season Starts Early

Flu season usually takes off around November. This year it's getting an early start. The CDC's latest weekly flu report says flu is still low across the country, but it has been climbing since late summer, higher than usual for this time of year. The West Coast is seeing the most. Nationally, about three and a half percent of lab tests came back positive for flu, and in one western region it was close to ten percent. Almost all the flu A virus scientists checked was one type, called H1N1. So what can you do? The CDC recommends a flu shot every year for everyone six months and older, ideally by the end of October, since protection takes about two weeks to build. Wash your hands, cover your coughs, and stay home when you're sick. And if you do get flu, call your doctor early, because flu medicines work best in the first couple of days.