While flu season has not caught the headline-grabbing attention like past years, Warren County Health Department officials are offering a firm warning for local residents. “The flu is out there,” said Lu Ann Bumgarner, registered nurse for the health department. “People need to realize it’s a very serious illness and shouldn’t be taken lightly.” The flu season can begin as early as October and can last as late as May. Traditionally, the peak flu season is in January or February. The flu is a contagious respiratory illness that infects the nose, throat and lungs and can spread through coughing, sneezing and nasal secretions. Some symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, running or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headache and fatigue. It’s recommended that anyone 6 months and older should get a flu shot. People who are more prone to flu-related complications are children younger than 5, adults 65 and older, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems. While the flu season hasn’t caught much national media attention, primarily for the reason few confirmed cases that have been reported so far, health department officials advise the best way to prevent the flu is by getting the vaccine each year. The health department is holding adult flu clinics on the following dates: Monday, Oct. 24, 9-11 a.m.; Monday, Oct. 31, 9 a.m.-noon; Thursday, Nov. 3, 1:30-3:30 p.m.; and Thursday, Nov. 10, 1:30-3:30 p.m. The clinics are open to residents 18 and older. The cost for a flu shot is $25. Appointments are needed for children 17 and under, however.  Unlike past years when there were shortages of the flu vaccine, the health department has had no trouble keeping a full supply on hand. This year the first shipment of the vaccine arrived in September, a lot earlier than normal. As of Friday, the health department had administered 181 flu doses, though that figure doesn’t include ones given in local schools. Since at least 2006, the number of flu shots given by the department has decreased significantly. During the 2006-07 flu season, around 1,093 flu shots were administered. Last year, only 266 vaccines were given. While that number is dropping, health department officials say that necessarily isn’t a bad thing. Bumgarner pointed out that more providers are receiving the vaccine, such as Walgreens and Wal-Mart. Nonetheless, residents need to take the time to get a flu shot if they haven’t done so, Bumgarner said. She pointed out that thousands die each year and even more wind up in the hospital. A myth commonly believed by people is that the vaccine can cause people to get the flu. Bumgarner emphasized that is false since the type of influenza vaccine administered by the health department is inactivated. “People don’t realize how severe it can be,” Bumgarner said. “Then it strikes and it’s too late. It’s sad people are dying from a vaccine preventable disease.” The health department is located at 104 W. Booneslick Road, Suite H, in Warrenton. For more information, call 636-456-7474 or visit www.warrencountyhealth.com.