MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WHNT) — A report from The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) said nine adults and two children have suffered influenza-related deaths this flu season.

The health agency’s latest weekly report said there have been 11 flu-related deaths state-wide since flu season began this fall, with nine being non-pediatric cases and two being pediatric cases.

These deaths come during a flu season that health experts say is hitting the state particularly hard.

ADPH District Medical Officer Dr. Wes Stubblefield told News 19 last week that the flu is widespread in Alabama.

“We’ve got influenza that’s widespread across the state and it’s going up week after week,” he said. “We’ve got over 200 people in the hospital with confirmed influenza.”

The ADPH’s report shows that 6.9 percent of all outpatient doctor visits in the state were for flu-like symptoms last week a decrease from the last two weeks, where flu-like illness peaked at just below 12 percent.

The new numbers are still higher than those from this time in 2021 or 2020. They are also higher than the 3.27 percent baseline set by the ADPH for this year’s flu season.

ADPH’s North Alabama district specifically had 5.84 percent of outpatient doctor visits dealing with flu-related illnesses.

The Flue is not just hitting Alabam hard this year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) rep[orted that during the week ending on Nov. 12 every state in the Southeastern United States experienced high or very high levels of flu activity.

The CDC Flu Map said the hardest-hit states are Alabama, Tennessee and South Carolina

In light of the flu numbers, the ADPH is encouraging people to get a flu shot.