MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is calling this year’s flu season “very active”.

On Friday, the CDC gave an update on the virus. Experts say the season started early this year and is now peaking, but it will be several weeks until it slows down.

A doctor’s office in Milwaukee tells CBS 58 they’re diagnosing more cases of flu than in 2016.

So far, 20 children have died across the nation. In the last week, experts say there’s been a rapid rise in hospitalizations, especially among kids and the elderly.

“There are 22.7 hospitalizations per 100,000 people in the United States. That’s up from the 13.7 last week,” National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases director Dr. Dan Jernigan said. “That’s almost doubling in terms of numbers in just the last week.”

To reduce the risk of getting sick, doctors recommend washing your hands and covering your mouth when coughing.