224 flu-related hospitalizations in Milwaukee, and the flu season may not have peaked yet

WAUWATOSA/CEDARBURG (WITI) -- By now, someone in your home may have that sore throat, cough and fever that usually means one thing -- flu season is upon us! So far, there have been 1,100 flu-related hospitalizations in Wisconsin, and the season may not have peaked yet.

Wheaton Franciscan Wauwatosa urgent care staff have been busy since about December 15th. That's when the number of flu cases shot up.

Teachers at the Morningstar Montessori Academy in Cedarburg are putting an emphasis on proper hand-washing.

"Naturally these children like to put everything in their mouths, lick a lot of things," Kate Gralton with Morningstar Montessori Academy said.

Since about mid-November, about 1% to 15% of the school's kids have been out sick.

"It`s at everybody`s doorstep, so we heighten our awareness and I think that it`s almost twice as much of washing hands," Gralton said.

Wheaton Franciscan Physicians Assistant Eric Kortbein says the number of flu cases at urgent care is spiking.

"Our volumes here have increased from about 80 a day to about 110 a day and a lot of that is cold but also influenza. Fever and cough are the first few symptoms," Kortbein said.

The Milwaukee Health Department says as of December 18th, there have been 117 flu-related hospitalizations in the city. That's more than double the number from one year ago.

The number of flu hospitalizations continue to rise. We're currently at 224.

"It`s been crazy. Everybody`s been working super hard," Kortbein said.

At Morningstar Montessori Academy, staff is working hard to clean, and they have a strict policy about keeping sick kids at home.

"They have a high chance of spreading relative to the rest of the population so we have to be really vigilant," Gralton said.

Health officials say even though this year's vaccine isn't an exact match for this year's flu strain, it's still recommended. That's because the vaccine can make symptoms much less severe.

CLICK HERE to learn more about the flu via the CDC's website.