By the last week of December, nearly two dozen lab-confirmed cases of the flu had been reported Clark County, according to a report from the Kentucky Department for Public Health.

The weekly influenza surveillance report details flu activity in the state for the most recent week it is available, Dec. 22-28.

Influenza is a contagious respiratory illness caused by viruses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death.

Symptoms include fever or chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuff nose, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea.

Flu activity is considered widespread in Kentucky, with 2,210 new cases reported in the last week of 2019. Widespread means outbreaks of influenza or influenza like illness and recent lab-confirmed influenza cases have been reported in at least half the regions of the state.

At the time of the report, 5,988 cases had been reported in Kentucky for the 2019-20 flu season, which started in late September and usually runs through the spring, ending in March or April. The season typically peaks in late January and February.

Of those cases, 22 had been reported in Clark County.

The virus is active at different rates in the counties surrounding Clark, ranging from 141 lab-confirmed cases in Fayette County to five in Powell County. At the time of the report, no lab-confirmed cases had been reported in Estill County.

In other neighboring counties, seven had been reported in Bourbon County with six in Montgomery County and 24 in Madison County.

Jefferson County has the most cases reported in the state with 2,468.

While those are the number of lab-confirmed cases, that does not paint an entire portrait of the level of flu activity, according to officials.

Many patients are diagnosed using rapid testing, which does not have to be reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to the CDC, more than 900,000 flu-related hospitalizations and 80,000 flu-related deaths occurred in the US during the 2017-18 flu season.

There have been eight influenza-related deaths in Kentucky so far this season. One of those deaths was reported in a child younger than 18. Most of Kentucky’s cases have been confirmed in children ages 1 to 10.

The first flu-related death in neighboring Fayette County was reported this week.

So far, there have been 27 influenza-associated pediatric deaths during the 2019-20 season in the U.S. Five of those were reported in the last week of December.

In the Kentucky, the predominant strain of the virus is Type A with 3,690 cases. There have been about 2,298 cases of Type B.

“The flu virus is spread by people who are ill through airborne droplets emitted by coughing and sneezing,” according to the Kentucky Department for Public Health. “You also may contract the flu by touching objects contaminated with the virus”

Experts say the best ways to prevent the spread of the illness are to be vaccinated and practice good hygiene.

According to the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, everyone 6 months and older should be vaccinated against the flu.

“While vaccination against the flu is recommended for everyone, it is especially important for those at high risk for serious flu-related complications or those who live with or care for people at high risk,” the KCHFS warns.

Those high-risk populations include children younger than 5, but especially those younger than 2; pregnant women, people 65 and older, people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions, residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, people who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including health care workers, household contacts of persons at high-risk for complications from flu; and household contacts and out-of-home caregivers of children younger than 6 months (these children are too young to be vaccinated).

While it is not too late to get the vaccine, it is best to be vaccinated annually in the fall, before the peak of the flu season, according to the CDC.

The Kentucky Department of Public Health offers these tips:

— Wash your hands often with soap and water for 15 to 20 seconds or use alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers.
— Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs often are spread when a person touches an object contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose or mouth.
— Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from contracting your illness.
— Stay home from work, school and errands if possible when you are sick. This will help prevent others from catching your illness.
— Remind children to practice healthy habits because germs spread easily at school and in child care settings, resulting in high rates of absenteeism among students and staff.

For more about the flu, visit CDC.gov/flu or healthalerts.ky.gov/Pages/FluActivity.aspx.