MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Six people were hospitalized at Oconee Regional Medical Center in Milledgeville in January — all of whom were battling serious health issues related to the flu.

Since flu cases started surfacing across Georgia last October, at least two deaths have resulted, according to figures released by officials with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta.

Aside from the six patients admitted at ORMC last month, a number of other people who tested positive for influenza were treated as outpatients, said Deborah Block, vice-president and director of nursing operations at the local hospital.

Block said 815 flu screens were performed during the months of December and January.

“A total of 94 of those screens tested positive for either influenza A or B,” Block said, noting there had been no deaths in Baldwin County resulting from the flu virus.

The two confirmed deaths happened in the Metro-Atlanta area.

When asked how bad flu cases are currently in the local area, Block said the cases are increasing.

“The cases have increased when we compare December and January data at the hospital,” Block said. “We had 12 percent in December 2016, while we had 15 percent of the patients swabbed for the flu virus who tested positive for influenza in January of this year.”

Seventy-three percent of the patients who tested positive actually had what is known as the Type A flu virus.

Some in the medical field describe it as being worse than other influenza types.

Block said emergency room physicians at ORMC aren’t of the opinion that this is the worst outbreak of influenza cases, but they are noticing that the infection rate is on the rise.

“So we should focus on prevention of spreading the flu,” Block said.

Anyone with flu-like symptoms, such a cough, fever, body-aches, and nausea/vomiting, should go see a doctor right away, she urged.

“Taking Tami-flu within 48 hours of flu-like symptoms may lessen symptoms and shorten the sick time of a person,” Block said.

Tami-flu can be purchased over the counter from drug stores, as well as other larger stores, such as Wal-Mart and Kroger.

Another way to help prevent the spread of flu to family members and others is to make sure that hands are washed frequently and practice good cough etiquette, she explained.

The symptoms of the patients treated at OMRC thus far are not worse than those experienced last year, but the incidence rate is climbing.

Block said it is recommended that people get flu shots as soon as they can to avoid the possibility of getting the flu, or if you do still get it, that it won’t be as bad as it could have been.

“If you haven’t had a flu shot yet, I would strongly recommend getting one,” Block said.

The flu season runs from October to March.