Boston Mayor Declares Flu Emergency

As hundreds of flu patients flood into the city's emergency rooms, today Boston Mayor Tom Menino declared a public health emergency.

The nation's severe flu season continued to worsen Wednesday, with reports of hospitals overflowing with sick patients and at least one major U.S. city declaring an influenza emergency and urging citizens to get vaccinated before the peak is reached. In Boston, Mayor Thomas Menino declared a public health emergency because of a sharp rise in cases. That city has seen about 700 confirmed cases of influenza since the season began in October, a 10-fold jump over cases reported for all of last year, said Nick Martin, a spokesman for the Boston Public Health Commission.

RELATED: Half of the hospitals in Milwaukee have diverted ambulances away from their emergency rooms due to the burden of flu patients.