Dr. Frank Welch, Medical Director for Louisiana's immunization program, talks with 101.7 / 710 KEEL's Robert J Wright and Erin McCarty about the severity of this winter's flu outbreak.

Welch, a Metarie physician who specializes in Preventive Medicine, tells KEEL listeners that this year's flu outbreak " is the worst I've seen...in twenty years." He adds that though the strain of the flu hitting Louisianans the hardest isn't the exact type that thousands were inoculated against, "the shot is fairly well matched to all the strains going around...and if you've already gotten it (the shot), you don't need another."

The doctor also explains the dangers associated with the flu, why between 700 and 800 people in the state could die, and what age brackets are most at risk.

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