A state health official says flu season has started in Kansas but there isn’t any indication that this year’s outbreak will be any worse than previous years.

Charlie Hunt, state epidemiologist for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said Thursday that the first flu cases were reported in Sedgwick County but no widespread outbreaks have been reported.

Hunt says many factors help spread the flu virus, but weather isn’t the major indicator. He said the focus should be on the strain of the flu virus that is circulating.

Residents are being offered two flu vaccines, one aimed at three seasonal strains and one targeting four.