 If the diagnosis is cancer, time is important. Call the PMC Lawson Cancer Center and we'll see you quickly with the goal of starting your plan of care within two weeks of diagnosis. Our purpose is saving lives. With low flu vaccination rates in Kentucky, the state is seeing higher rates of hospitalization, pediatric deaths and longer recovery times. We spoke to Public Health Director Tammy Riley on the importance of vaccination. Well, what we know is, like you said, the flu vaccine has been around for decades and it's safe. It's proven over and over to reduce disease, severity, hospitalizations and death. So even if you're a young, healthy individual who's never had the flu or you don't get very sick with the flu, you can still spread it to others. So it's really important that we have as many people get the flu vaccine as possible. The current flu vaccine targets the major strain circulating and helps reduce disease, severity, longevity, hospitalization and death. Experts do watch what happens in the southern hemisphere to see what strains are circulating, to see what will be released here in the United States. And what we do know is that currently the flu cases that are circulating are primarily flu A, which is H1N1 and about 20 percent and we're seeing about 80 percent H3N2. And those are being targeted by the current flu vaccine. And we also know that flu B is also covered with the typical flu vaccine. If you have the flu, it is important to stay home and make sure you have been 24 hours unmedicated without fever before resuming day-to-day activities. For questions about the flu or to schedule a vaccine appointment, go to Pike County Health Department on Facebook. For Mountain Top News, I'm Brianna Robinson.