LANSING – Flu season has officially begun in Michigan.

The Department of Community Health (DCH) confirmed the first case, an 18-month old from Ferndale who was diagnosed by a family physician.

Oakland County held a mass vaccination clinic, vaccinating 9,500 people at seven locations in one day.

“We are really pushing the vaccine and urging people to get it,” said George Miller, health officer and manager of the Oakland County Health Department. “It helps to lessen the chance of getting the type of flu that is out this season, and secondly, it’s also a good deterrent if we were to get hit by a pandemic.

“You don’t want to get both a pandemic and regular flu strain,” he said.

Oakland County has distributed 35,000 doses of the vaccine. It recently received 15,000 new doses and is distributing them.

About 2.4 million doses of the vaccine have been shipped to Michigan health care providers, according to the DCH.

Flu is a contagious upper respiratory illness caused by viruses. It can cause mild to severe sickness and can be fatal.

The vaccine is made by reproducing and killing the flu virus in a lab.

Once the body is injected with the vaccine, the immune system reacts by producing antibodies programmed to attack the dead virus. Then, if a person is exposed to the flu, the body recognizes the virus and destroys it.

Every year in the U.S., more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu complications and about 36,000 die from it. There were about 300,000 reported cases of flu-like illnesses in Michigan last year, according to the DCH.

During the week ending Nov. 25, there were 68 reported cases of Flu-like symptoms statewide according to the DCH. Flu-like symptoms include a fever of 100 degrees or higher, with a cough or sore throat or both.

“There are a number of things being done, certainly on the local level,” said T.J. Bucholz of the DCH. “Our primary focus is making sure that everyone has enough vaccine to go around.

“I think that we’re also doing a very good job in trying to educate people on how to avoid contracting influenza,” he said.

Complications can include ear infections, sinus infections, dehydration and worsening of chronic medical conditions such as asthma or diabetes.

The DCH and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggest vaccination for people at high risk, such as older people, young children, pregnant women and people with chronic medical conditions, such as asthma.

According to the CDC, the best time to get vaccinated is in October or November. But it also says that getting vaccinated in December or even later can still be beneficial since most flu cases occur in January.