BATON ROUGE - Winter is here and so is the flu. 

Medical experts say the season has arrived earlier than usual and they've seen more cases in Louisiana than in other states.

The Louisiana Department of Health tells News 2 the flu is "widespread" and the risk is "high".

Dr. Mindy Calandro of the Baton Rouge Clinic recommends the flu shot to prevent patients from catching the virus, even though it's not always effective.

"The flu vaccine is never going to be perfect," said Calandro, "scientists design the vaccine in February and to know what strains are going to be circulating is going to be a guess at that point, but it's the best guess we have."

Calandro says anyone over the age of 6 months can get the flu shot.

Other good ways to stop the spread of germs is to wash hands and try to maintain a healthy lifestyle.