HALIFAX - The Nova Scotia government says two people with underlying health conditions have died of the flu.

The latest statistics available for the province show that the number of cases of influenza is increasing.

The government's latest report published Wednesday shows there have been 19 cases of the flu since the first cases were confirmed in early December.

The government did not say in a news release what strain of flu was involved in the two deaths it is reporting.

The government is urging people, especially middle-aged adults and children under the age of five, to get their flu shots.