The Wisconsin Department of Health Services says this will be one of the longest flu seasons in recent memory. DHS Influenza coordinator Tom Haupt says the average peak for flu activity is the first week of February, but the season is expected to extend at least through the end of March if not beyond. Fond du Lac County Public Health Officer Kim Mueller says the powerful H3 virus is affecting the young and old alike. Mueller says the flu vaccine is safe and effective and a much better match to this season’s virus than last year’s vaccine. Hospitalizations for flu symptoms are increasing to about 50 a day in Wisconsin with one in five patients admitted to intensive care. There have been 36 influenza deaths in the state.
