Butler County has the 17th highest number of documented flu cases out of 67 counties in the state so far this year.

The county has seen 377 documented cases as of Jan. 13, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health's website, and the flu could be hitting harder than the statistics show.

“These case counts represent only a fraction of the actual burden of illness due to influenza occurring in the commonwealth at any given time,” the website said. “This is because most persons with influenza do not go to the doctor or are not tested or reported.”

The flu presents trouble, especially to the elderly. The data also show that 32 people died this year from influenza, the majority of which were over age 65.

Dr. David Rottinghaus, an emergency medicine specialist at Butler Memorial Hospital, said in a previous interview that this year's flu symptoms have appeared in the forms of fever, respiratory problems, muscle aches and sore throats.

“We really want people, if they feel their symptoms are severe enough, to come for an evaluation,” he said.

A full report appears in Friday's Butler Eagle.