Iowa has had 29 influenza-associated deaths this flu season, since October 1st.

According to this week’s activity report from the Iowa Department of Public Health there have been 119 influenza-associated hospitalizations and 17 schools across the state reported 10% or greater absence due to illness.

Washington County Public Health nurse Lynn Fisher shares the symptoms of influenza, “We’re talking about the respiratory illness, and that can come on very suddenly, you can be just fine one day and the next day at 4 o’clock in the morning you wake up and you have the influenza. Usually its symptoms are a high fever, very high 102 degrees for a couple of days, extreme fatigue, runny nose, body aches and chilling that goes along with that fever. A person is really quite ill and down in bed typically for five, six days.” She reminds people to think of the three C’s: cover your cough, clean your hands often, and contain illness by staying home from school and work when you’re sick.