"I know about 7 or 8 of them who have the flu already," says South Bend resident, J.C. Gaska.
You probably know some people too. The flu has spread fast.
"I just don't have it, I don't want to catch it," says Gaska.
Both Memorial and Elkhart General had less flu-related visits this past weekend and Elkhart General ER doctor Michelle Bache hopes that's a sign the flu is mellowing out.
"I would say it doesn't look like we're increasing so hopefully we've peaked and I would expect it should be coming down soon," says Michelle Bache, Elkhart General Hospital ER physician.
She says while it may be slowing down, NOW is not the time to let your guard down. "I would say we're still seeing pretty high levels of flu activity in our patients. Overall the census wasn't as high over the weekend, but still lots of flu going around."
It's an encouraging trend, but she says the flu can be a tricky thing. "It's really hard to predict how long a flu season will last, it does vary from year to year. I'm expecting it should be coming down here, hopefully soon."
At Memorial Hospital in South Bend, ER nurses say the number of patients with the flu has dropped dramatically. For example, last Tuesday 37 people were hospitalized for the flu. By Monday that number was down to 12.
Back at Elkhart General, they say it's worth repeating. No matter the numbers, the flu is still a very real threat and PREVENTION is the key to staying healthy.
"That's the thing that we really stress, getting the flu vaccine, getting your children immunized," says Bache.
