After influenza took the lives of six South Carolinians and two Georgians, a Savannah doctor reports an outbreak of the flu virus in Savannah over the weekend.

The influenza is no stranger within the walls of Urgent Care 24/7 on DeRenne Avenue.

“One of our employees, her best friend lost her 11 year old daughter last year here in the Savannah area, to influenza,” says Dr. Jerry Williams.

Williams says the death of the young girl hit close to the hearts of his work family. A year later, he sees the virus picking up again.

“Over the last few days, we’ve seen a huge ground swell of influenza. The patients are pretty sick,” Williams says.

He says his practice is being hammered with flu cases, all of a sudden, reporting between eight and ten cases Sunday morning alone.

He’s now urging patients to get the flu vaccine. However, several of those coming down with the sickness did get the shot.

“The flu shot effectiveness varies every year because what the developers of the vaccine have to do is predict the future,” Williams says.

So, it doesn’t always ward off the virus.

“We had patients come in, 17 people in a vacation home. We had three positive cases in that 17 family house,” he said.

For those who do come down with the flu, Williams recommends seeking treatment immediately, and preventing its transmission.

“Even wearing a mask is helpful,” he says.

Some symptoms he lists are the classic, severe cough, high fever, and body aches.

“It’s what I describe as a bone crushing body ache, because they really hurt,” he says.

“We forget about how deadly influenza can be, but history shows the outbreaks have been unbelievably devastating,” Williams says.