Craig Johnston had planned to attend a Super Bowl party Feb. 3 but got lightheaded and started coughing about midnight on Saturday.

By Super Bowl Sunday, he was flat on the couch, dizzy, weak and still coughing.

"Usually I like football," he said, "but that day I could care less."

Mr. Johnston had the flu.

Although he did not receive a flu shot, the 32-year-old man's doctor prescribed the antiviral medication Tamiflu. He ended up missing only two days from his job as project manager for Siemens Water Technologies in Marshall, even though he did not fully recover for about a week.

"It was pretty miserable," he said. "I was wiped out. It zaps the energy right out of you."

Influenza is on the rampage, with no signs of waning.

State Health Secretary Dr. Calvin B. Johnson said the number of flu cases statewide rose dramatically in recent weeks, and continues rising.

In the past two weeks, Allegheny County's total rose by 105 new cases confirmed by laboratory cultures. That brought this season's total to 188 confirmed cases.

At this time last year, only 15 confirmed cases had been documented, but 2007 was a milder-than-average flu year.

This year the flu is exacting revenge.

In the past two weeks, 416 suspected cases, determined by rapid antigen testing, were reported in the county, bringing the total number of suspected cases this season to 708.

That brings the total number of suspected and confirmed cases to 896, which is approaching the 2004-05 season high of 940 confirmed and suspected cases, according to Guillermo Cole, Allegheny County Health Department spokesman. He noted that there are hundreds of unreported flu cases for every confirmed case.

Even those who received flu shots remain susceptible. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported that this season's vaccine doesn't match about 60 percent of lab-confirmed flu cases nationwide.

Mr. Cole said the vaccine was designed to cover the Type A Solomon Islands, Type A Wisconsin and Type B Victoria strains; however, the strains circulating this year are Type A Yamagata and Type B Brisbane -- two types that cropped up late in last year's flu season after this year's vaccine already was in development.

"This year is going to turn out worse than average simply because the vaccine doesn't match well with the viruses that are circulating," Mr. Cole said. "That doesn't mean the vaccine is useless. It does provide some protection."

The CDC today is scheduled to announce the three strains to be included in next season's vaccine.

Dr. Marc Itskowitz, an internist with Pittsburgh General Medicine Associates at Allegheny General Hospital, said his office has seen an increase in cases ever since mid-January.

"What makes this year different is, the peak seems to be higher intensity and earlier than it has been in the last couple of years," he said.

It can take a week for the virus to incubate, then effects can last for a week. Tamiflu can reduce the duration and intensity of the flu if taken within 48 hours of onset, Dr. Itskowitz said.

Dr. Thomas Campbell, chairman of the department of emergency medicine at West Penn Hospital, said Pittsburgh might have been a bit lucky this year. The cases he's seen mostly involve young and otherwise healthy people. Those with chronic illnesses are avoiding the flu, indicating the vaccine might be effective.

Symptoms that can last two to seven days include weakness, fevers as high as 104, coughing and respiratory problems. Others -- seen mostly in children -- include diarrhea and nausea.

The Health Department recommends that people wash their hands, avoid the sick, and stay home from work or school if they fall ill. Individuals should cover their mouths and noses when sneezing or coughing, and avoid touching their eyes, noses or mouths after touching surfaces that might be contaminated.