Flu cases on the rise, public urged to get vaccine

MILWAUKEE -- State health officials say flu cases are on the rise in Wisconsin. Now, those same experts are urging you to protect yourself by getting the flu vaccine.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services reports the number of flu cases in the state has tripled in the past couple of weeks.

Aurora Health Care Chief Medical Officer Bruce Van Cleave says it's important to get the flu vaccine -- and there's more than one reason why. "People can be symptomatic even before they have symptoms.  So, you could say 'I'll just stay away from people who are sick,' but someone who has no symptoms at all could have the flu and could be spreading the virus," Van Cleave said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the United States is seeing the latest start to flu season in nearly three decades. The CDC says flu season can begin as early as October and last as late as May.

Aurora Health Care asks its employees to get flu shots to be on the safe side. "As caregivers, we make the agreement with the organization as a whole to protect our patients, and get our flu shot and also protect our loved ones so we don't bring that home to our family and friends," Adam Beeson of Aurora Health Care said.

Aurora Health Care has more than 100 clinics in the Greater Milwaukee area where people can get flu shots.