CDC announces flu season ‘weeks’ from being over

Flu season might last a few weeks longer than usual, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Measures of the flu have been at or above normal for 18 weeks this flu season, two weeks longer than the average for the past five seasons, the CDC’s website said.

Those levels will likely be elevated “for a number of weeks,” the website said.

Twenty-two people had died of the flu in Clark County as of March 23, according to local data released Friday. Four of them were children.

Last year, 61 people had died by the same time, three of them children and 40 over the age of 65, Southern Nevada Health District numbers showed.

The best way to prevent the flu is through an annual vaccination, which is safe for most people 6 months and older, according to the CDC.

While the vaccine takes a couple weeks to become effective, it’s still not too late to vaccinate.

Other methods of prevention include staying home when you’re sick and practicing good handwashing, per the CDC.

Contact Jessie Bekker at jbekker@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4563. Follow @jessiebekks on Twitter.