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Influenza widespread in Pa.; Allegheny County has most cases in state

ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — Influenza is now widespread across Pennsylvania, and Allegheny County has the most flu cases in the state, health officials said Wednesday.

"We are definitely on the uptick. This is happening nationally. Last week, we saw a very sharp increase,” Allegheny County Health Department Director Dr. Karen Hacker said.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Allegheny County has nearly 1,200 confirmed cases of the flu since October – almost eight times more than Philadelphia and by far the highest in the state.

"Around Christmas time, we started to see an uptick in the number of people with the flu. Now, it's really doubled in the last week compared to the week before,” said Dr. Clifton Callaway, UPMC professor of emergency medicine.

As of Wednesday, the health system had 73 patients admitted for the flu. Callaway said it’s taking a toll on emergency rooms.

"We have the same number of providers, the same number of hospitals who now have to take care of several hundred more people,” he said.

The flu strain is the same one treated with the flu vaccine, and Callaway said it’s not too late to get a flu shot.

He added that while the increase in confirmed cases is significant, it still pales in comparison to the H1N1 outbreak in 2009.

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