BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — With a severe flu season rippling across Louisiana, the state health department is offering free flu vaccines at more than 55 parish health units.
The vaccines are available Jan. 31 from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Clinic information is available on the health department website .
The health department says walk-ups are welcome, and people seeking vaccines are asked to wear short or loose-fitting sleeves and bring an insurance, Medicaid or Medicare card if they have one.
State immunization medical director Frank Welch says this year's severe flu season could exceed the 700 deaths seen in past intense seasons.
While 5 percent of people seek medical care for flu-like symptoms in a typical season, the health department says the number this year is more than 10 percent.
