Flu activity rising nationally, especially in Ill.

December 21, 2012 (WLS) -- Just in time for all those crowded holiday gatherings, federal health officials say flu activity in the United States is on the rise.

Twenty-nine states reported a spike in flu cases with high levels of influenza in 12 states, including Illinois.

The flu season is off to an early start but the head of the CDC said it is too early to tell how severe it could get.

Experts are stressing that thousands of people die and hundreds of thousands are hospitalized with flu each year.

They said it's not too late to get vaccinated before the flu season peaks, which usually happens in mid-February.

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