The flu has already claimed the lives of three people in Washington State.
The State Department of Health reports this week that the lab-confirmed deaths of a Pierce County boy who was less than twelve years old and an elderly man and woman from King County are being blamed on the flu.
State health experts caution that many people are unaware that they even have the flu and say that the virus is often misidentified.
Heath officials also advise that the best defense to the flu is getting vaccinated.
Young children, people ages 65 and older, pregnant women, and women who have recently given birth are at the most at risk of catching the disease.
