STRONGER COLD FRONT, AND WHEN WE SEE A BIG DIP IN TEMPERATURES. CHRISTINA: NEW NUMBERS SHOW HOW BAD THE FLU SEASON IS RIGHT NOW IN LOUISIANA. MORE THAN 1000 CASES SO FAR. JUST ONE HOSPITAL IN NEW ORLEANS. HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO NUMBERS LAST YEAR AND WIRE THEY SO HIGH? WE WENT TO CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL NEW ORLEANS TO HEAR AN EXPLANATION. HERE AT CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL NEW ORLEANS, JASMINE SMITH KNEW FLU SEASON WAS HITTING KIDS HARD. SHE DIDN’T KNOW IT WAS THIS BAD. >> IS PRETTY HIGH. 20? CHRISTINA: MORE THAN 1400 CASES SO FAR THIS YEAR. CHRISTINA: DOCTORS HAVE SEEN MORE THAN 1400 FLU CASES THIS YEAR AT THE HOSPITAL COMPARED TO NINE THIS TIME LAST YEAR. >> IT IS NOT DUE TO PEOPLE NOT GETTING THE FLU SHOT. THE FLU SEASON STARTED SEVERAL MONTHS EARLIER THAN IN IT ANY SEASON IN PAST YEARS. ONE WE SAW CASES OF THE FLU, THE FLU VACCINE WAS NOT EVEN COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE. CHRISTINA: THESE NUMBERS MATCH THE PEAK THAT THEY SAW AND EACH OF THE LAST TWO YEARS. WE ARE JUST NOW REACHING PEAK FLU SEASON FROM DECEMBER TO FEBRUARY. SOMETIMES THROUGH APRIL, MEANING NUMBERS CAN CHANGE FOR BETTER OR WORSE. >> IF IT STARTS TO COME DOWN, THAT WOULD BE FANTASTIC. WHAT WE ARE WORRIED ABOUT IS IT WILL CONTINUE TO RISE IN FREQUENCY OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS. CHRISTINA: BECAUSE OF THAT, THE BEST ADVICE, GET THE FLU SHOT. >> HAD THEM GET THEIR VACCINE, BECAUSE CHILDREN AT THE SCHOOL WERE TESTED POSITIVE FOR THE FLU. CHRISTINA: ALSO, MAKE SURE THE KIDS KNOW HOW TO STAY GERM-FREE. >> WASH YOUR HANDS. IF YOU ARE SICK, WE HAVE TO GET YOU A SHOT. CHRISTINA: AS OF NOVEMBER 23, THE CDC SAID LOUISIANA WAS ONE OF 4 STATES WITH THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF FLU ACTIVITY. DOCTORS AND LITTLE KIDS CONTINUE