NEW ORLEANS — According to the latest data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Louisiana is one of two states listed as "very high' in the number of influenza cases in the nation.
Latest numbers revealed as of Dec. 2, show Louisiana and South Carolina with the country's highest amount of reported flu cases, with surrounding states Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee posting slightly lower totals.
“We are among the states with the very highest level of flu activity currently, which unfortunately, historically is not an uncommon place for us to be,” State Health Officer Dr. Joe Kanter told WWL Louisiana media partner The Times Picayune | New Orleans Advocate.
The CDC describes the flu as a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses that infect the nose, throat and sometimes the lungs. The most common symptoms include fever, cough, congestion, runny nose, sore throat, chills, body aches, headaches and fatigue.
Kanter told Nola.com that 12.5 percent of all emergency room visits are currently due to respiratory viruses in Louisiana, and that the flu accounts for eight percent of that total with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), COVID, adenovirus and rhinovirus making up the rest.
According to the Louisiana Department of Health, the national rate for ER visits is about half that (four percent) for influenza-like illnesses.
Flu season typically runs from October through March, with peaks normally between December and February.
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