Free flu shots planned at parish health units
{{tncms-inline alignment="left" content="<p>Find a participating health unit near you:</p> <p><a href="http://www.ldh.la.gov/index.cfm/page/3513" target="_blank">ldh.la.gov/index.cfm/page/3513</a></p>" id="9634127a-d881-4cc0-a299-5e88127c55d8" style-type="info" title="More Information" type="relcontent"}}
BATON ROUGE — Louisiana health officials want more people to get a flu shot in a state that has among the highest levels of flu activity so far this season.
The state health department says free flu shots will be available Thursday, from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., at parish health units across the state.
The health units have extended evening hours to accommodate people leaving work or school.
A full list of sites is available online.
The health department says the flu causes about 500 deaths and nearly 3,000 hospitalizations annually in Louisiana. But the numbers spiked last year with a more severe flu season, to more than 15,000 hospitalizations and 1,600 deaths.
The department recommends a yearly flu shot for anyone over six months of age without a complicating medical condition.
Find a participating health unit near you:
<a href="http://www.ldh.la.gov/index.cfm/page/3513" target="_blank">ldh.la.gov/index.cfm/page/3513</a>