Flu Season Starts Soon

SIOUX FALLS, SD - The official start of the flu season is over a week away, but the virus is already popping up in many states.

Flu season typically begins to affect us beginning in October. It usually peaks just after the holidays and doesn't end until May in this area of the country, though doctors are quick to caution that the flu can strike anytime of year.

That means now is a good time to get your flu shot. Dr. Wendell Hoffman, an Infectious Disease Specialist, says it can be difficult to predict just how bad the flu season will be this year, but says the flu is serious every year. In fact, each year more than 200,000 people are hospitalized in the U.S. and 36,000 people die after being infected with the flu virus. The best way to protect yourself and your family from the bug is to get a flu shot.

"If we're all immune against the virus, or if 90 percent or 80 percent of us are immune, the virus dies out after a couple of transmissions," Hoffman said.

If you would like to get a flu shot, KELO-TV is teaming up with Lewis Drug for its annual flu shot clinic next Tuesday, September 27. Shots will be given at all Lewis Stores in Sioux Falls from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.