Hospitals in Louisiana saw much larger volumes of flu patients this November compared to the same month last year, reports CNN.
At this time in 2018, Children's Hospital New Orleans had treated just nine flu patients. This year, they've already seen more than 1,400 flu cases, most of which involve influenza B. This strain typically shows up near the end of flu season and causes more severe illnesses in children than adults.
New Orleans-based Ochsner Health System reported 6,909 flu cases last month, marking a 1,385 percent increase from its November 2018 flu patient volumes.
Louisiana is one of seven states to experience high flu activity in the week ending Nov. 23, according to the CDC's most recent FluView report. During this time last year, only two states reported high flu activity.