Flu season has arrived with a vengeance this year and in Mercer County, like the rest of the country, cases are up and vaccines are at a premium.

"Overall we've seen an increase (in flu patients) over what we traditionally see this time of year," said Ed Newmeyer, public relations director at Sharon Regional Health System.

At United Community Hospital in Pine Township, a 5-year-old was admitted because of the flu and one patient was treated, said Kathy Lehman, public relations director.

The impending flu outbreak is causing people to rush for flu shots, especially for their children, and that has caused a shortage of the vaccine.

"We're receiving overwhelming calls for the flu shot," said Dr. Paul Chlpka of Helping Hands Pediatric in Sharon. "Initially we were not given an indication of a shortage of shots but we got a larger demand than expected, and now there's a backlog."

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