(NBC) -- While you're doing your christmas shopping you may
encounter something you couldn't find last year: The flu. More
Americans are coughing and sneezing their way through the
holidays, and a new report from the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention shows the flu will likely be around long after
the tree comes down. "I think we're in for quite an influenza
season," warns Dr. William Schaffner. "It's starting early, and
it's called by this so-called H3N2 virus, it's the kind of virus
that produces a more severe illness." The number of states
reporting widespread flu activity doubled last week to eight.
States reporting regional flu activity also doubled.
Hospitalizations due to the flu are higher than normal as well.
The elderly and young children are often hit the hardest. Last
week three children died from the flu, bringing the total number
of pediatric deaths to five this season. Children under the age
of 6 months are too young to get a flu shot, so doctors
recommend everyone around them get vacci