Hospitals across the state are seeing a dramatic increase in the number of patients with the flu. WakeMed says it is no exception, with an average of 70 patients reporting flu-like symptoms coming to its four emergency departments every day this week.

According to Emergency Physician Dr. Lisa Thompson, patients are complaining of generalized body aches, high fever, dry cough and a sore throat.

"They feel like they've been hit by a truck," she said.

But most patients, she said, are being sent home to nurse their symptoms for the usual four to five day-long illness.

"Most people can stay home and take care of themselves," she said. "they can take their own medicine to reduce fever, drink plenty of healthy liquids to keep from being dehydrated, and they need to stay away from other people so they don't spread it."

That includes staying out of hospitals. Thompson said the flu presents a serious risk to patients who have weak immune systems.

"People with cancer, diabetes, poor immune systems like people with AIDS can get really sick really quickly," she said. "They can go into renal failure with dehydration.. they can get an overwhelming pneumonia from poor immune status.."

Most of the 24 children and adults WakeMed has admitted to the hospital in the past few days have been from the at-risk population. Thompson said they are the ones being treated with antiviral medications to reduce the severity of their illness. Average patients, she said, are getting advice, but no medication.

"[Antivirals are] not something we're going to give to most people," she said. "And you shouldn't try to get it because you're not going to get it."