TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- As the cold and flu season approaches, the top health official in Kansas is urging all residents to get a flu shot to fight off another outbreak of the H1N1 virus.

Dr. Jason Eberhart-Phillips, state health officer for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, says the agency is following federal recommendations by urging all Kansans to get vaccinated.

KDHE is also making a push to get all health care workers vaccinated to help prevent the virus from spreading.

Eberhart-Phillips said the state learned many lessons from last year's flu, which first showed up in Kansas in April 2009. Among the improvements are better surveillance across Kansas and more residents protecting themselves with more frequent handwashing.