Louisiana is one of the country's flu hot spots
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Doctor visits related to flu-like symptoms are spiking in Louisiana, according to the CDC. The map does not measure the extent of the geographic spread of cases within the state. Image: CDC
Flu season is in full swing in Louisiana, with the state being one of the worst places in the country to be right now, based on the latest data from the CDC.
Why it matters: Most flu cases can be treated at home or with prescription medication, but some are more severe and can lead to hospitalization and/or death.
The big picture: The CDC says Louisiana and Washington, D.C., had the most flu activity in the U.S. as of Dec. 7.
- The CDC tracks how many medical visits are related to people with flu-like symptoms.
- It monitors visits for respiratory illness that includes a fever plus a cough or sore throat.
- See the latest map.
Zoom in: RSV cases are also climbing in Louisiana, according to data from the state Department of Health.
- Plus, walking pneumonia cases are surging in the state's children, according to The Times-Picayune.
- COVID cases spiked over the summer but are currently low, Department of Health data shows.
State of play: Childhood flu vaccination is down so far this season in every state but Iowa, per CDC data.
- Flu shots can help prevent kids from getting sick, but they appear to be getting swept up in a broader wave of vaccine skepticism that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The CDC reported 200 pediatric flu-related deaths in the 2023-24 season — a record high for a non-pandemic flu year.
By the numbers: Nationally, childhood flu vaccine coverage was down 7.1 percentage points as of Nov. 30 compared with the same time last year.
- It's down 5.2 percentage points in Louisiana.
- 36.6% of kids nationwide have their flu shots for the 2024-25 season so far, compared with 43.7% at this point last season.
- 53.8% of kids got their flu shot by the end of the 2023-24 season, the CDC says. That's down from 62.4% in 2019-20.
Between the lines: These numbers are in line with a national rise in vaccine exemptions among kindergartners, suggesting increasing vaccine skepticism among parents pretty much nationwide.
What's next: Public health experts worry President-elect Trump's pick for health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., could further erode confidence in many vaccines that have proved safe and effective, as Axios' Maya Goldman and Tina Reed report.
Go deeper: More Louisiana kindergartners are getting vaccine exemptions