There are reports that the flu season is off and running, earlier than usual in some parts of the country.

Health officials say that the flu season is off to its earliest start in nearly 10 years, with a jump in cases in five southern states. That kind of an uptick in reports usually doesn't happen until after Christmas.

But experts that WHAM News spoke with in Monroe County say while they have seen an increase in cases recently, it doesn't seem particularly unusual at this point.

Dr. Ann Falsey is a specialist in viral and respiratory infections at Rochester General Hospital, and she's also a professor at the U of R Medical Center:

"We have seen cases of flu, we've seen few people hospitalized, while it's not what i would call intense activity, it is on the uptick."

But Falsey says it's hard to say just how bad a flu season we are going to have...

"Just because it peaks early doesn't mean it's going to be a particularly bad season, it could be, but sometimes it just comes early."

Falsey says it's really never too late to get a flu shot, at least for the next several months, since we sometimes start of the season with one type of flu strain, and then finish up with another kind.

This year's flu vaccine is said to be a good match to help you fight the bug.