Health officials say the flu season seems to be getting off to more normal start this year.

Reports of the flu have been increasing, particularly in the South. But it’s nothing like last year, when flu hit early and very hard in early December.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday said last year’s flu season landed about 381,000 people in the hospital — the most since at least 2005. A contributing factor: The flu vaccine was only 51 percent effective overall

CDC officials said it’s too early to know how bad this season will be or when it will peak. Flu is usually the worst in January or February.