The Flu hit America hard this year; according to Fox News, the number of people visiting the doctor for flu-like symptoms in the 2012-2013 flu season is 5.6 percent, up from 2.2 percent for the 2011 – 2012 flu season.

The epidemic has already spread to every state in the United States, leaving 29 children dead, including a four year-old girl in Honolulu.

Health officials say there’s a zero percent chance of fighting the flu without a vaccination, but even with the vaccine there’s still a 40 percent chance of contracting the flu. Only 37 percent of Americans get the vaccine according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The flu will leave you sick for a little over a week and then go, but for young children and people over 50, the flu can be life-threatening. If you have flu symptoms, visit your doctor for prescription antiviral medications. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, pain in abdomen and chest, dizziness, fever that spikes at 100 and above, and seizures.

If you have the flu, it’s recommended that you stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone, except to get medical care or for other necessities, so you don’t infect others. Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.

According to Kypost.com, in Hawaii, the flu outbreak is lower compared to other states. Plenty of vaccines are still available in the state.