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WNIJ's summary of news items around our state.

Influenza Cases Peaking In Northern Illinois

"Box of Kleenex" by Flickr User m01229 / (CC X 2.0)

Spring is right around the corner, but the end of flu season is not.

The Winnebago County Health Department says it’s seeing a high volume of influenza in the region; a recent report showed more than 300 new cases within a week. 

But that isn’t unexpected this time of year.

Todd Kisner, with the health department, says more than 60 percent of the new cases were among children and the elderly.

So this led to hospitals tightening certain age groups from visiting.

“The health systems put that visitor restriction in place to prevent flu from coming into the hospital and infecting those that are recovering from illnesses they have," Kisner said.

Kisner says people who haven’t gotten a flu vaccine should, because cases can still pop up in the next few months.

He says flu symptoms are more "involved" than the common cold, including muscle and body aches, fatigue, and headaches. 

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