LANCASTER -- Seasonal influenza, also known as flu, cases are soaring as the peak season is supposed to come to an end.
According to Ohio Department of Health, flu cases were very high throughout February, with 410 hospitalizations in Central Ohio by the end of the last week in February.
During the 2024-2025 flu season, Central Ohio had just over 2,000 hospitalizations. Fairfield County had 1.7%, or 196, of those hospitalizations.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention flu map, during the week of Feb. 22, Ohio and four other states had very high numbers of flu cases. More than half of the United States currently has high cases.
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According to the CDC, flu symptoms usually come on suddenly.
"Most people who get the flu usually recover in one to two weeks, but the flu can be deadly. An estimated 200,000 people are hospitalized with the flu each year in the U.S.," said on the Ohio Dept. of Health website, "On average, it is estimated that there are more than 20,000 flu related deaths - many of which could have been prevented with a flu vaccine."
Here are some signs and symptoms:
Flu season begins in October and ends in May, peaking in December through March, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.