Children's wards in hospitals across China have been packed with flu patients since October. The Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control says flu cases in the capital were up by more than 80% in the last weeks of December. And authorities say there's more to come. CGTN's Ren Xueqian reports.

It's peak flu season in China. National health authorities say there are now more flu cases than any time this winter. The Beijing Children's Hospital says it had 16 percent more patients December compared to the previous year.

PATIENT'S MOTHER "My son has been having IV treatment for seven days now and was burning with a fever for over two weeks. And the fever was passed on to the entire family."

High fevers, coughs, headaches, fatigue, and body soreness are all symptoms of this year's flu.

PATIENT'S MOTHER "My daughter has a fever and started coughing. The hospital has been very busy lately. One time we had to wait all day until 10 pm to start the IV treatment."

Health experts say such symptoms are not uncommon during flu season and can be contained with proper treatment. But what makes this year's flu outbreak more severe than previous years is the level of cross infection in crowded areas.

XU BAOPING, DIRECTOR RESPIRATORY DEPARTMENT, BEIJING CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL "Common colds and respiratory infections are usually high among young children in winter. Add that to a room of flu patients, such as hospitals or even classrooms, and the odds are the conditions will worsen. Parents should be certain their child is exhibiting symptoms of the flu before they bring them to a hospital."

A mixture of type A viruses which include H3N3 and H1N1, and type B Yamagata virus are carried in this year's flu. Type A viruses can be found in both humans and animals and they are generally responsible for larger flu epidemics, whereas type B viruses are found only in humans.

Officials say, though type B is not a new virus, it is the first time that it has affected the public on such a scale and the most effective way to prevent it is through vaccinations.

FENG ZIJIAN, DEPUTY DIRECTOR CHINESE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION "The vaccination rate is low in China. We supply some 26 million vaccinations each year to the public and not everyone gets them. Current vaccines can prevent three strains of viruses: H1N1, H3N2 and type B Victoria. Supplies of quadrivalent influenza vaccine, which will better target prevention of type B Yamagata, will likely be available this coming fall."

Feng Zijian says after a regular vaccination period, there are still some 6 million vaccinations left. He says families are encouraged to get properly vaccinated before the flu season, especially the elderly, young children and women with children as they are most susceptible to infections.