LEWISTON – The flu season is in full swing in Maine, and it’s turning out to be a bad year.

“We’re seeing quite a bit of flu,” said Dr. Dora Mills, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control. “We’re seeing heavy flu, lots and lots of cases of flu all over the state. We’re being hit hard like the rest of the country.”

Although there’s no way to say precisely how many people have gotten the flu in Maine – people don’t always go to a doctor for it – the state CDC and local hospitals say they’re seeing more cases than usual.

Figures are due out Tuesday, but on Monday the state CDC said just over 8 percent of admissions at the three hospitals it tracks were due to the flu or pneumonia, a complication of flu, for the week ending Feb. 23. There have been more than a dozen outbreaks at long-term care facilities over the past two weeks. And there have been more deaths due to flu or pneumonia, including one man who died at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston from flu complications late last week. He was an otherwise healthy young adult who had been transferred to CMMC’s critical care unit from another hospital.

“The problem with the flu is people think it’s a very benign thing, but there are deaths every year, quite a few of them. And a number of them are in healthy adults, although certainly more of them we see in older and very young populations,” said Dr. Jenae Limoges, specialist in infectious diseases for CMMC.

The state believes at least one child from the Penobscot County area and two young adults, one from central/western Maine and one from central Maine, have died recently from the flu or from complications. Autopsies are pending to confirm the cause. Because the CDC does not release details about such deaths, it is unclear whether one of those young adults is the man who died at CMMC.

Mills called the deaths “tragic,” but said it was not unusual for one or two children and one or two young adults to die in Maine during the flu season.

“The flu, even in the mildest years, is a killer in Maine,” Mills said.

CMMC and St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston are taking precautions to prevent the spread of the flu, including posting signs at their entrances and elevators asking visitors to stay away if they’re sick, isolating flu patients and requiring doctors and nurses to wear masks when they work with flu patients.

And for the first time, St. Mary’s d’Youville Pavilion is offering cards that sick visitors can sign and have immediately delivered in lieu of a visit.

“Basically it’s ‘I’m thinking of you, but I didn’t want to get you sick,'” said spokeswoman Jennifer Radel.

So far, the card program seems to be working. While the rest of the state is battling the flu, no cases have been reported at d’Youville.

While experts say they’re seeing more cases of the flu this year, they aren’t exactly sure why. One reason may be that this year’s flu vaccine is a good match for only about 40 percent of this year’s viruses.

Experts also say that while there are more cases of the flu, those cases don’t seem to be more serious. They stress traditional care: drink lots of fluids, take medication to lower any fever and call the doctor if the fever doesn’t go down, if you’re short of breath or if you have diabetes, heart disease or other complicating factor.

Has Maine reached its flu peak? No one knows yet.

“I’m hoping,” said Daniela Skalina, infection control coordinator for CMMC.

Flu prevention

What you should know:

• It’s not too late to get a flu shot. It offers protection within days and is fully effective within a couple of weeks. Although it isn’t a match for 60 percent of this year’s viruses, it can still prevent complications.

• If you get the flu, drink lots of fluids, take medication to lower the fever and call the doctor if the fever doesn’t go down, if you’re short of breath or if you have diabetes, heart disease or other complicating factors.

• Stay home if you’re sick.

• Not sick and want to stay that way? Wash your hands. A lot. And avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.