The South Dakota Department of Health says 103 new confirmed cases of influenza were reported last week, and at this point last year only 12 confirmed cases had been reported. Bruce Ferrell with Regional Urgent Care says it's not out of the realm for the flu season to come early like it has this year but it is earlier and more prevalent than the past 15 or 16 years. Ferrell says influenza activity increased and remained at widespread level in South Dakota during the past week.

Bruce Ferrell, PA with Regional Urgent Care, says, "Here in South Dakota and across the nation, widespread means that we have reached an epidemic and that it is now above the populations that we would normally see that in. We are now seeing it in healthy people and it is causing bigger problems in people with new deficiencies."

Ferrell says there are plenty of websites and even phone apps that help people learn about risk factors, track outbreaks and determine if their symptoms could be indicative of the flu.

Tessa Thomas