HELENA — As the temperatures drop and the days grow shorter, flu season is officially upon us. Health officials are urging the public to take precautions as cases begin to rise.

“You are colder, you are inside, you are coughing, you are spreading the germs, so we see it spread easier,” said Shelly Maag, the Lewis and Clark Public Health nurse supervisor.

(WATCH: Learn more about the rise in illness cases in the area) Illness on the rise: what to expect this season

Germs that cause illnesses like the flu, RSV, and COVID, and although it is just now starting to cool off, these illnesses are already spreading here.

“Flu season has been earlier this year,” Dr. Tyler Harwood at St. Peter’s Health says. “Typically, we see that it starts in October, and this year we have been seeing cases

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