NATCHEZ — If the flu season is a storm, the Miss-Lou is apparently in the calm before it.

Holder-Wilson Drug Store Owner Larry Holder said prescriptions for flu medication are just starting to trickle in, but he expects more.

“New Year’s Eve we had maybe a half-dozen people come in looking for Tamiflu,” he said. “In our population, the flu hasn’t turned rampant yet.”

According to Mitzi Hendricks, the office manager at Concordia Medical Center in Vidalia, the family clinic has seen approximately 40 flu patients this season, far fewer than for the same period last year.

But from the few who have been infected so far, Holder said he believes it will spread.

“In our population, the flu has not turned rampant yet, but once it gets started and people start breathing on each other, it really gets going,” he said.

While for most people the flu’s symptoms are limited to fever, cough, extreme fatigue, sore throat, muscle aches and a runny nose, the reality that the flu was once a dreaded killer was underscored last week when the Mississippi Department of Health reported a pediatric flu death.

The strain of flu identified in Mississippi this year has been the influenza A H1N1 virus, known after its 2009 appearance as “swine flu.” The same strain was identified in Louisiana this year, according to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.

Even though it’s mid-way through the flu season, MDH officials said it’s still advisable to get a flu shot, and recommended everyone from age 6 months and older receive the shot, especially those who are immunocompromised or have respiratory illnesses. The child who died had underlying medical conditions.

“This is another serious reminder that it is important for people of all ages to get the flu vaccination,” said MDH State Epidemiologist Dr. Thomas Dobbs. “Fortunately, this year’s flu vaccine includes coverage for the H1N1 strain that is currently circulating throughout the state.”

The county health department offers flu vaccinations for $30, and vaccines for those age 18 and younger who are eligible for the Vaccines for Children program or the Children’s Health Insurance Program are $10.

A high-dose vaccine for those older than 65 is $55.

In addition to vaccine protection, the MDH recommends using basic measures such as covering the mouth when coughing or sneezing, washing hands and staying home when sick to control the spread of the virus.

Flu shots are also available at the Concordia Parish Health Unit for $10 for those who qualify to pay.

The Adams County Health Department is located at 415 U.S. 61 North. The Concordia Parish Health Unit is located at 905 Mickey Gilley Drive in Ferriday.