Illinois is experiencing a severe flu season according to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

For the safety of patients and their families, Taylorville Memorial Hospital is requesting that:

•           Inpatient hospital visits be limited to two visitors per patient at one time

•           All visitors be 18 or older and show no signs of illness

The health system also encourages those accompanying outpatients at Memorial facilities to consider these same recommendations.

Seasonal flu activity usually peaks in January and February, beginning as early as October and ending as late as May, according to the CDC website. As many as 20 percent of all Americans get the flu each year.