The nationwide flu epidemic has not spared the Ohio Valley, prompting some local health officials to expand their flu vaccination clinics.

Instead of once a week, the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department is now making flu clinics available daily. During a normal season, flu clinics have traditionally been bi-weekly.

But this year, the department's administrator said the clinics will continue from 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. until the flu cases begin to diminish or at least level off.

"We've also seen locally small, isolated outbreaks. An outbreak may be in (a) nursing facility or school where you have multiple people sick, from school where you may have upwards of 100-plus sick," Gamble said.

-SPECIAL SECTION: Latest information about the flu and tips on staying healthy

In addition, the health department's staff is making trips to local organizations and businesses to provide vaccinations.

"Although we've seen some severe to moderate flu seasons, over the years, we haven't seen a huge spike like this for at least 10 years," Gamble said.

He said the only flu epidemic that trumps this year's is the H1N1 virus from 2009, which is a different strain of flu altogether.

Complicating matters for health care professionals and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is that in some cases, people think they have the flu when in reality it's just an illness with similar symptoms.

"We have norovirus going around, which is more an illness for the stomach where we don't feel good, we may be vomiting or have diarrhea. We also have some strep throat, ear infections, so we have other that are mimicking flu-like symptoms."

He said people should get flu shots each year.

"The flu changes each year and each year we need to get a new flu shot because (of) the strains that are out there," he said.

Gamble said it is possible to get the flu despite being vaccinated because some people's bodies don't accept the vaccine.

-SPECIAL SECTION: Latest information about the flu and tips on staying healthy