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Flu bug biting Southern Oregon hard A run on people needing flu shots and doses of the flu medication Tamiflu keeps pharmacist Dennis Clark busy Friday at West Main Pharmacy in Medford. Mail Tribune / Denise Baratta Friday Dec 30, 2016 at 2:27 PM Dec 30, 2016 at 3:19 PM Nick Morgan Mail Tribune @mtcrimebeat The flu is hitting Southern Oregon twice as hard as other parts of the state, public health officials say. In Jackson County, 4.77 percent of all emergency room visits last week were to treat flu-like illnesses, more than double the statewide average of 2.1 percent the same week, according to numbers provided by Jackson County Health and Human Services and the Oregon Health Authority. Jackson County Health Officer Dr. Jim Shames said this year's flu vaccine is a "good match" for the strain going around, identified as Influenza A H3N2. Providence Medford Medical Center recorded 90 confirmed cases of influenza in December, according to spokeswoman Lisa Helderop. Getting an exact number of how many flu cases is difficult, according to Tanya Phillips with Jackson County Public Health, because clinics and medical centers are required to report flu cases to public health agencies only in instances where it causes a young child's death. No such cases were reported in the state in 2016. Phillips said cold weather contributes to the spread of the flu because people are inside for longer periods and they cluster together more. The flu strain going around isn't stronger than previous years, but public health experts are seeing it much earlier than they did last year. "The best way to prevent the flu is to be vaccinated," Phillips said. Becky Sherman, a clinical nurse at La Clinica Phoenix Health Center who also does vaccination outreach, said both types of flu vaccines available locally have the Influenza A antigen in them — be it the three-strain trivalent vaccine or the four-strain quadravalent vaccine. "The sooner the better," Sherman said, adding that the immune system needs about two weeks to build its defenses. "Take what you can get at this point." Of the 378 flu specimens taken statewide last week, 98 percent — all but three — were Influenza A strains, according to the Oregon Health Authority. Sherman said the trivalent vaccine has two types of Influenza A antigens and a single influenza B antigen, while the quadravalent vaccine has the two A antigens and two B antigens. Sherman, who also runs the vaccination-information website ashlandchild.org, said the flu vaccine is safe for pregnant women and young children. She said children's immune systems respond to the flu vaccine better than older adults. "It doesn't really work that well in older people," Sherman said. Oregon Health Authority has been strongly encouraging people in contact with vulnerable people, such as young children or seniors, to get the flu shot, according to spokesman Troy Andersen. Two flu outbreaks have been reported at long-term care homes this month in Jackson County, Phillips said. The Oregon Health Authority has recorded four outbreaks statewide in December. — Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @MTCrimeBeat.