Flu season is always a time full of discomfort, days spent in bed, and trips to the local doctor. This year, like many past years, has fostered rising flu activity across the nation. With the infamous influence that this disease has, it is no surprise that up to 40 states have widespread flu activity across the nation, as reported by CBS News.

Flu season usually hits children and senior citizens the hardest, since the disease easily lays waste to their immune systems. This year alone, the flu has reached an “epidemic” status as 7.7% of all deaths in the United States during the second week of January were related to flu illnesses.

Scientists have reported that this year’s strain of flu can not only be extremely effective against children and the old, but can also be quite deadly to healthy people between the ages of 18 and 64. CBS News described this year’s strain of the flu as the same strain that caused 2009’s swine flu epidemic that resulted in over 200,000 deaths worldwide.