LOS ANGELES — Flu cases are rising across Southern California well ahead of the usual schedule, and health officials said many people have not had a chance to get vaccinated.
The West Coast is at the center of the early surge, which is unusual. Lab tests show the H1N1 strain is behind most cases — the same virus sparked a pandemic in 2009.
Dr. Elizabeth Hudson, who monitors infectious disease at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, said infection rates are now at levels the region would normally see in early to mid-December…