Like every year, the U.S. has seen a wave of Influenza. But for the first time, this year every part of the U.S. has shown widespread flu activity, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. At a rate of 22.7 people out of 100,000, U.S. residents are being hit hard.

Miami Dade County is pushing for staff and students to get vaccines. Human Resources say that it’s the most effective way to protect against the flu. Healthy Schools LLC. teamed up with Miami Dade County public schools to offer free vaccines to 10,000 pupils and 300 school staff

Recently, Miami Dade County sent home a paper to raise awareness for the flu. This paper gave parents assurance of the safety of flu vaccines, ways to spot the illness, and tips on how to treat it.

“Get vaccinated, keep sick family members home, contact your health care provider if you or your child are experiencing flu-like symptom,” the flyer said.

The CDC recommends waiting one day after the flu fever is gone before returning to everyday activities.

The disease has killed 37 children in the U.S., although determining the exact mortality rate is difficult, the CDC reported. Since some were not able to differentiate between a cold and the flu, they hesitated to pursue medical attention.

To differentiate the common cold and influenza, here are some tips: when infected by a cold, sneezing is common, while with a flu, a fever will appear. More drastic, sometimes reaching symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting, something absent with a common cold.