HealthDay News \u2014 Flu season is getting an early start in New York City, with doctors reporting a sharp jump in cases weeks sooner than normal.<\/p>\n
Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/a> (CDC) shows that New York City and nearby areas such as Long Island and northern New Jersey had some of the nation\u2019s highest levels of flu-like illness as of early December.<\/p>\n City health officials say flu infections are climbing quickly.<\/p>\n New York City\u2019s acting health commissioner, Dr. Michelle Morse<\/a>, urged people to get vaccinated<\/a> and take precautions if they feel sick.<\/p>\n She said flu cases are \u201cskyrocketing\u201d in the nation\u2019s largest city.<\/p>\n Poly Prep Country Day School, a private prep school in Brooklyn, closed its Dyker Heights campus, which serves nearly 900 middle and high school students, after roughly one-third of students were ill over just a few days, school officials said.<\/p>\n The closure allowed staff to conduct an \u201cintensive disinfection\u201d of the building before reopening, school spokeswoman Jennifer Slomack<\/a> told The New York Times.<\/p>\n Experts say the flu strain<\/a> spreading this season, known as H3N2, has changed in ways that may help it dodge parts of the immune system.<\/p>\n That could make this year\u2019s flu shot less protective than in some seasons, though early data<\/a> from the U.K. suggests that the vaccine can still help prevent serious illness and hospital stays.<\/p>\n