State health officials say 16 Kansans have died from the influenza during the current flu season.

Flu season is generally considered to run between November and March.

A spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment says at this time last year, 42 people had died from the flu. The state’s reporting period is from September to May.

The H1N1 flu strain this season is the same strain that killed more than 18,000 people in the U.S. in 2009. But state epidemiologist Charles Hunt says this year’s strain won’t be as severe because people have developed more immunity to that strain.

State health officials remind Kansas residents that it is not too late to get a flu shot to hold off the disease.

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Associated Press Information from: The Topeka Capital-Journal