This is typically the peak of Louisiana's flu season, but state health officials say so far this year, there have been much fewer cases. 

When it comes to the flu. Dr. Frank Welch with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals says despite a spike of influenza in November, this flu season has been one of the mildest.

"We started out with a little blip back in November," Welch said, "and we have remained relatively low since then."

He says doctors are reporting only about two to three percent of their patients have flu symptoms.  Dr. Welch says the yearly messages about getting vaccinated may be paying off.

"I'm hoping in Louisiana our efforts at the vaccination campaigns, both last year and this year, may be taking hold," and that would be good for everyone's health, Dr. Welch said.

Doctors at the LSU Health Sciences Center says there are a lot more people complaining of common cold symptoms, so it's not as severe as the flu, but there is still a lot of hacking, wet coughs and sneezing to be heard.