The US flu season is off to a very early start, hitting the South and West now

NEW YORK — The U.S. flu season is off to a very early start, and it’s quickly intensifying. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday posted its latest update, reporting that seven states were reporting high flu activity last week, up from two states the week before. The CDC also said that more than 3% of doctors’ office visits last week were for flu-like illness, signaling that flu season is really underway. Louisiana is seeing the worst of it so far. Flu season “is taking off and it’s taking off in a direction that’s only likely to increase in the next month or two,” said Dr. Fred Lopez, an infectious diseases specialist at the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. “If you haven’t been vaccinated, you should get vaccinated now,” he added. The early-season flu activity is higher than what’s usually seen at this point of the year, though it’s not clear that will mean this season will be worse than others, according to CDC’s update.

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