It's officially flu season. Doctors say right now cases of the flu are spiking on Long Island.

The state Department of Health says there were 1,234 cases of the flu in the state in mid-November. By mid-December, that number increased to 7,903.

"Today we started with no appointments because it's the day after the holiday, and we added 52 sick visits in,” said Dr. John Zaso, a pediatrician in East Meadow.

Zaso says about a third of those are flu cases. The pediatrician recommends getting a flu shot, which can protect you from three strains of the infection.

"Huge spike in flu. Still seeing some walking pneumonia that's still going around. Now we're also getting norovirus, the stomach virus, so have a little mix of things going on,” said Zaso.

News 12 checked with Stony Brook Medicine and Northwell Health, and they confirm an uptick in cases of the flu.

A Rockville Centre pharmacist says he is seeing an increase of people picking up flu medicine.

“We’ve definitely seen an uptick in the last two weeks for sure and this month alone just for the flu cases, definitely major rise in our population," said Anthony Valenti, owner of Valenti Pharmacy.

Experts say good hygiene is key to prevention, and early diagnosis and treatment are also crucial.

Doctors say fever, body aches and vomiting are symptoms of the flu. Getting treated early can prevent the flu from leading to ear infections, pneumonia and other complications.