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Flu season in full swing

Updated: January 3, 2013
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URBANA -- The flu season is here, and this year, all that coughing and pains are coming a little earlier than usual. 
The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District says it's definitely hit earlier than the past few years. Usually, you'll see flu season pick up a couple weeks after Christmas. But this year it's started early and it's started strong.
It's like that across the country. In New York, some scientists say they can use the weather and computer data to predict when peak flu season will hit this year. CUPHD says they turn to weather for diseases carried by ticks or mosquitoes, like West Nile Virus, but not yet for influenza. 
Julie Pryde is with CUPHD. She says predictions don't mean a lot if people don't take precautions.
"We know every year we're going to have flu in our community," said Pryde. "Every year people are going to be hospitalized with it that's why we say get your flu shot. Get it early and then you don't have to worry about it."
She says there already are dozens of flu cases in the area, but it's not necessarily too late to get the flu shot. The shot, however, might be less effective because it takes two weeks for immunity to kick in and you may already be exposed to the flu virus at the point.

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