LEE COUNTY, Fla - WINK News has confirmed at least one flu related death in Lee County. In the last three weeks, the number of flu cases at Lee Memorial Hospital has more than tripled.

The week of December 9-15, Lee Memorial had 23 confirmed cases of the flu. Last week they had 109.

Stephen Streed, Assistant Director of Epidemiology at Lee Memorial says, "we know it can be a serious disease. I think people take it too lightly and should pay more attention to the gravity of it."

The CDC estimates the flu kills 25,000 people a year.