Posted Thursday, January 10, 2013 -- 8:30 a.m.

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Emergency rooms at many Milwaukee area hospitals are being inundated with older patients who have severe flu-like symptoms.

Over the past 10 days, many of those emergency departments have been forced to divert incoming ambulances to other hospitals.

A Milwaukee Health Department official says five to eight of Milwaukee County's 11 hospitals have reported rolling diversions -- temporary, periodic shutdowns of emergency departments except for life-threatening cases -- because staff and beds are strained by an influx of patients hit hard with the flu.

The official tells the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that other cities around Wisconsin have not reported hospitals being inundated with influenza cases.

Copyright 2013: Associated Press