MADISON, Wis. - The flu bug has arrived in Wisconsin, where health experts said Wednesday they have confirmed the first case of the season.

Laboratory tests found a Waupaca County woman had the state´s first influenza case, according to the Department of Health and Family Services. The woman, who has recovered, had not traveled outside the state in the week before she became sick.

The flu season typically starts in November or December in Wisconsin. State health officials said it´s impossible to predict the length or severity of the flu season.

"While it is too soon to tell if this case marks the start of more widespread transmission throughout Wisconsin, we strongly recommend that those groups at highest risk for influenza complications be vaccinated as soon as possible," Health and Family Services Secretary Helene Nelson said in a written statement.

U.S. health officials are scrambling to find ways to make up for a shortage of flu shots now that the nation´s supply has been cut in half.

Wisconsin´s health department has distributed a checklist for vaccination clinics to use to identify the people who most need flu shots.

Those people include young children, the elderly, people with certain chronic diseases and health-care workers.

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Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services: http://www.dhfs.state.wi.us