| Flu is striking early this year.
Public health officials in WV say flu activity increased 63 percent since last week.
Excluding the 2009 pandemic, those figures represent the virus's earliest peak in the state since the 2003-04 season.
Public health officials are urging West Virginia residents to get a flu shot this season.
With the flu season peaking, holiday gatherings provide the ideal conditions for the virus to spread. | 
