Louisiana in the Top 10% of the Country for Spreading the Flu

Every week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issues a report on how the country is fairing in the face of this common, but potentially deadly disease.  In the CDC's latest report, Louisiana got high marks - but not in the good way.

In the week 45 report, Louisiana joined Nevada, California, Alabama, and South Carolina at the top of the list for Influenza activity.  All 5 of the aforementioned states garnered a "widespread," status for the illness.  This metric measures the geographical spread of the disease, not the severity.  Although experts agree that flu cases are growing rapidly, not enough data was collected to asses the severity - which is calculated using the actual number of Influenza like illnesses (ILI) in the state.

According to the report Arkansas and Oklahoma were ranked with low-level activity, and Texas with moderate level activity.  With their close proximity to Louisiana, that may not last for long.

Health officials warn that if you experience flu-like symptoms (fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle or body aches, headache, fatigue, vomiting, and/or diarrhea) you should stay home and contact your health provider in order to stop the spread of the disease.