Arizona’s top health official says it’s time to get vaccinated for the flu and to encourage others to do the same.

The flu season usually starts in October, and state Health Services Director Will Humble says steps now underway include monitoring reported cases and distributing distribution of vaccines.

He says officials also are testing flu specimens to identify strains that are circulating and to detect potential drug resistance.

Humble says the state has only one flu case reported in the past couple of weeks. He says

According to the Department of Health Services, 12,000 people in Arizona were hospitalized or sickened by the flu during last year’s season.