BLOOMINGTON - Like late, unwelcome guests at a winter party, influenza, strep throat and other upper respiratory infections have blown into Central Illinois.

Arriving later than usual, flu season is making up for lost time, keeping urgent care centers busy.

"I walked in on Monday and realized it's here," Michele Krieger-Johnsen said Wednesday of flu season. She is the clinical manager of OSF St. Joseph PromptCare locations in Bloomington-Normal.

"Once you see your first case, then it seems as if everybody who walks in the door has it," said Dr. Marlito Favila of HealthPoint in Normal, a part of BroMenn Healthcare.

Until recently, cold and flu season had been quieter than usual.

"The activity was very, very low," said Dr. Lamont Tyler, PromptCare medical director. He and Favila credit this season's flu vaccine, which has been more effective than last year's in battling prevalent strains of influenza.

But in the past couple of weeks, doctors and nurses began seeing patients with influenza and other upper respiratory infections. The trend has surged in the past few days.

Tyler said PromptCare had been averaging one or two verified influenza cases each day but that has increased to seven cases a day. Meanwhile, PromptCare is averaging more than 10 cases each day of strep throat, in addition to gastroenteritis and other upper respiratory infections, Tyler said.

Krieger-Johnsen said two PromptCare staff people were off work because of illness on Wednesday and one of them had influenza.

At HealthPoint, doctors and nurses have been treating influenza, pneumonia, sinus infections, bronchitis and ear infections, Favila said.

Doctors aren't sure of the reason for the surge. It may just be that cold and flu season is hitting later than usual this year. A contributing factor may be that some people - not those with influenza and strep but people with other upper respiratory infections - put off being treated as long as possible because of the recession.

"Volume was down in urgent care centers and primary care offices for the past three months compared to the prior year," Tyler said. "Some people may have delayed care if they're paying out of pocket."

Doctors and nurses want people who think they have influenza to see a doctor as soon as possible because there is medicine that can reduce the duration and intensity of the flu if treatment starts within 48 hours of the start of symptoms.

Tamiflu tablets remain effective against influenza type B but are no longer effective against influenza type A, Favila and Tyler said. As a result, Tyler is prescribing Relenza inhaler. For patients who aren't comfortable with inhaling medicine, Tyler prescribes a combination of Tamiflu and Rimantadine.

Favila prescribes Relenza alone or Tamiflu with Amantadine or Rimantadine.

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The doctor is in

- Reduce your risk of getting influenza or an upper respiratory infection by washing your hands frequently with warm soapy water, keeping yourself well hydrated, taking vitamin C, getting enough sleep, eating healthy, exercising, staying away from people who are sick, and if you get sick, staying home and taking care of yourself.

- Get in to see a doctor if you experience a sudden onset of at least some of following symptoms: fever, muscle aches, fatigue, dry cough, frontal headache, sore throat and nasal congestion.

SOURCES: Dr. Lamont Tyler, Dr. Marlito Favila, Michele Krieger-Johnsen