A steady stream of local residents poured into the Iberia Parish Health Unit on Weldon Street to receive vaccinations Wednesday for a sickness that just doesn’t stop spreading. 

Given the rate of flu viruses spreading throughout the state and country, the state Department of Health provided free  flu vaccinations at health units all around Louisiana, including the New Iberia location. Inside the medical rooms, registered nurse Magan Broussard said the unit had been busy just an hour into providing the shots. 

“This is our stack,” Broussard said, pointing to a large stack of medical papers. “We’re just an hour in.”

The vaccinations were provided at no cost to Louisiana residents, and more than 60 parish health units across the state were on tap to deal with residents trying to avoid the bug.

This flu season has seen an unusual number of people in Louisiana and the United States being hospitalized and treated as a result of catching the disease. State immunization medical director Frank Welch said in a prepared statement that this season can be categorized as severe. 

“Louisiana is experiencing a severe flu season and the flu strain we are seeing now is one that typically causes more severe illness, and results in higher hospitalization rates and deaths,” Welch said in a prepared statement. “In more severe seasons, the flu causes approximately 700 deaths and nearly 8,000 hospitalizations each year in Louisiana. We are already on track to meet and possibly exceed these statistics for the 2017/18 flu season.”

Apart from the Iberia Health Unit, St. Martin Parish also provided vaccinations at the St. Martin Parish Health Unit in St. Martinville, marking the second Teche Area location that residents could receive the vaccination. Seven such facilities offered the service Wednesday across Acadiana.