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QUINCY, ILL. -- Influenza is alive and well here in the Tri-States.

The New York Times earlier this week reported that some parts of the country had flu vaccine shortages, but that's not the case in our area. 

The Adams County Health Department says it has a steady supply of flu vaccines for adults, children and infants.

KHQA spoke with the department about preventing the illness and what to do if you have it.

The Adams County Health Department says more than 3-thousand adults have been vaccinated in Adams County since October 1st.

"Individuals just need to get their flu vaccine even if you've had the respiratory flu this season," Adams County registered nurse Joanna Bunch said. "You still can get the disease even later in the season. So it's very important that individuals get their flu vaccine for their children starting at six months all the way up."

It's a sentiment shared by Illinois's governor and public health director. The two were in Chicago Tuesday urging people to get vaccinated. They said 27 people have died recently from complications associated with the flu in Illinois, while about 370 others have ended up in intensive care units.

"It can take anywhere from a week and a half to two weeks to get the coverage you need once you get that flu vaccine," Bunch said. "Individuals very well could be exposed within that 2-week time frame to the flu virus. Then, they've gotten the vaccine but they don't have that coverage yet, so they associate the flu vaccine with getting the flu."

Bunch said if you're ill, you need to stay home or keep your children home if they're sick. Wash your hands frequently and cover your coughs and sneezes.

"You cannot get the flu from the flu vaccine," she said. "You can actually have some symptoms. That's just your body reacting to the vaccine, where you may have some achiness in the arm just from getting the shot. The only time that we do not give the vaccine to individuals is if they're running a fever."

Bunch said you might want to consider wearing a mask if you walk into a medical facility these days -- to prevent you from spreading the flu if you have it or to prevent you from breathing in germs from the people who have it.

The Adams County Health Department has a flu clinic Wednesday from 1 to 4 p.m.