The flu season is picking up steam, with about seven million Americans having been struck by a strain of the flu virus, health officials said Friday. Almost half of those folks went to a doctor, while between 69,000 and 84,000 people have been hospitalized for flu-related illness, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a new release. As of January 5th, 15 states and New York City were reporting high flu activity, and it was widespread in 30 states. The most common type of flue around is still the influenza A strain H1N1. That strain has been circulating and was pandemic in 2009 and in 1918. The CDC recommends that everyone six months and older get vaccinated. Getting your kids their flu shot is the best way to protect them and prevent deaths from the complications of flu, CDC recommends. Getting vaccinated won’t guarantee that you won’t come down with the flu, but if you do, your illness will be milder, health experts say.