The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the flu vaccine for everyone 6 months of age and older, pregnant women, people age 65 and older, and people with certain chronic medical conditions.

State health officials are urging Hoosiers to get a flu shot this fall. The recommendation is an effort to keep flu numbers low during the coronavirus pandemic.

Data from the report shows 34 deaths were Hoosiers 65 years or older, and Marion and Lake counties have seen the highest number of flu-related deaths.

State Health Commissioner Kris Box says the flu season is well underway and she expects it will likely get worse in coming weeks.

Five cases were people age 65 years or older. ISDH says children under five, adults over 65 and people with chronic diseases like asthma or diabetes are at a higher risk.

The Marion County Public Health Department has reported the first flu-related death of the season.

This year's vaccine is changed to make it more effective and accessible.

Health officials caution children and people at risk limit contact with pigs at fairs. Humans cannot get the flu from eating pork, but putting anything in your mouth while in pig barns - food, drinks, tobacco products - can expose people to the virus.

The CDC says it's the first human case of the H3N2 flu in Indiana since 2013 and the first in the U.S. this year.

Viruses can remain infectious on different surfaces for days, and your hands become the vehicle.