BUREAU COUNTY — Bureau County is definitely at the peak of flu season, which has hit earlier and stronger than normal, according to Sue Gorman, infection control nurse at Perry Memorial Hospital in Princeton.

On Thursday, Gorman said she hasn’t seen the flu season hit this early in years. Perry Memorial started seeing cases of respiratory influenza in early December, with those numbers increasing to probably a dozen lab-confirmed cases during the past couple weeks. Most of those cases have been treated as out-patients, but some people have been admitted to the hospital, she said.

Most people can hopefully ride out their flu if they are generally healthy and are able to stay inside, get plenty of rest and drink lots of fluids, Gorman said. However, it’s especially important for people to see their doctor if their general health has been comprised in some way, such as if they have asthma, emphysema, a heart condition or diabetes, she said.