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News Specialist Samantha Hayes reporting
The state Health Department has confirmed the first flu case of the year.
This is the time of year when we're all inside together for holiday parties, at the gym, or stuck in airports.
If the virus is around, you bet it will spread, and folks at this health clinic say they've seen a lot of stuffy noses and sore throats.
Mike Durfee has had the flu, and doesn't want to take any chances this year.
"The flu symptoms, the way they are these days, you get the flu and you are out of work for a while, it makes it hard," Durfee says.
You only need to deal with those symptoms once to know you don't want to catch the flu again. That's why places like this Insta Care health clinic have been busier than usual.
"We're really busy. We're having to staff with two doctors where in the past we've only had to staff with one," says Jacquelyn Nelson with the IHC Health Center.
"It's a little slower in coming, but that really doesn't give an indication of what will happen later on with the flu," says Thomas J. Boud, M.D.
Rebecca Ward with the state Health Department keeps track of reported flu cases in Utah and says last year's numbers were much higher.
"Again last year because of increased reporting we did have over 400 cases of influenza," Ward says.
Keep in mind more tracking and monitoring were going on during the Olympics, which can scew numbers, and the traditional flu months are still ahead of us.
"The peak season can be anytime but it's typically, you see more cases in January and February," Ward says.
And if you don't get that flu shot, remember an antibiotic won't work.
Although we've heard it over and over again, washing your hands is the best thing to do.
Because the virus mutates so quickly, a flu shot, while it may help, isn't a sure thing.
