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"New numbers released late Friday afternoon show hundreds of more people in Wisconsin have been sickened by the flu right now than during all of last season.As of Jan. 4, there were 2,837 confirmed cases. That's 800 more than all of last season.The death of a teenager in northeastern Wisconsin is tied to the flu.There are also 333 probable or confirmed cases in Milwaukee; most are people 65 or older.The actual number of cases could be much higher since most people with the flu don't go to the doctor to confirm their illness.The flu going around carries a variety of symptoms, and so the temptation for many people may be to take one, multi-symptom product to help fight the flu.But health experts told WISN 12 News, depending on the type and number of medications people are taking, they may be exposing themselves to another serious health risk.Flu sufferers by the dozens continue to pour into local hospitals, and even more are staying home.Some are treating their symptoms with store-bought medication, but there's a caution. Many multi-symptom products contain acetaminophen, found in Tylenol, and doubling up on those products can cause health problems.\"If they're taking Tylenol, and some of these cough medications with Tylenol in them, they're overdoing it and they can overdose on Tylenol,\" said Dr. Margaret Hennessey of Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare - All Saints.The maker of Tylenol has launched an informational campaign, including a coupon-like notice at the checkout line cautioning consumers to take only one acetaminophen product at a time.Tylenol has created a website to answer questions, http://getreliefresponsibly.com.Meanwhile the surge goes on at local hospitals, forcing many to redirect patients to other facilities.\"Hospitals that are overwhelmed are able to divert patients to other hospitals that might not be as overwhelmed. It gets tough when everyone is overwhelmed,\" said Eric Viel of the Milwaukee County EMS Division.The rush of patients to each hospital is monitored at the EMS communication center.It is the county-wide tracking system that shows four hospitals currently on diversion, sending patients to other facilities. If that number hits six - if two more of them hit capacity, all of them would be forced to reopen.The system is designed to ensure patients get the best and quickest care possible.\"It's important for patients to realize that even if hospitals are diverting, they're still taking care of patients. Their front doors are still open,\" said Dr. Jonathan Rubin of Froedtert Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin.WISN 12 News was told it's not uncommon for local hospitals to be so crowded they have to divert patients. What's uncommon is to have so many hospitals diverting all at once and for an extended period of time.Complete flu coverage"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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