Just as families and friends are gathering for Thanksgiving, we learn that Louisiana is the hotbed for the flu in America.
"Louisiana has the highest levels of flu-like illness being reported in the United States currently," Dr. Fred Lopez told WWL's Tommy Tucker.
The Professor of Medicine in the Section of Infectious Diseases at LSU Health New Orleans says people who have not already been vaccinated are at higher risk of infection.
Can you get the shot now to protect you?
"It takes about two weeks to develop full immunity to the flu after you have received the vaccine," Dr. Lopez noted. "You can get the flu before the flu shot becomes fully effective."
Lopez says flu is deadly and spreads easily.
"We're talking about a virus that causes about 35,000 deaths in the United States on average each and is very contagious."