OTTUMWA, Iowa (KYOU) - With fall officially underway flu season is ramping up and health officials say now is the time to get vaccinated.

“We have seen some flu already. We saw actually our first flu case was in the first part of September,” nurse practitioner Billie Lanham.

Lanham said Easy Care Clinic said serious cases of influenza are already present as we approach colder seasons- when the flu circulates more easily with people spending more times indoors.

“It is a virus and it’s very contagious and it can actually be deadly for the older generation as well as the young generation."

Less than half of Americans got the flu shot last flu season. The virus can cause fever and cough - and can be deadly. Killing about thirteen people for every one-hundred thousand.

Complications of the flu are greatest for those who are younger and older.

“The older generation 65 and above and then the very generation the babies.“

The CDC recommends people who are older than six months of age get the annual flu vaccine. And Lanham also recommends people take steps to reduce their risk.

“Remember good hand washing is probably the number one thing that people can do," said Lanham. “Especially in the schools and on the busses and even with your grocery cart you know just good hand washing can prevent a lot of things.“

Watch the interview- https://www.ottumwaregionalhealth.com/news/2025/09/24/health-experts-encourage-people-to-get-flu-shots

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