Flu Kept At Bay So Far This Winter, Health Expert Says

(CBS) -- The weather outside is turning frightful, which means cases of the flu virus tend to become more common.

But that doesn't appear to be the case, at least so far this winter. Doctors instead have seen an increase in a type of upper respiratory cold and cough -- still unpleasant, but not influenza.

Dr. Nadia Qureshi, an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Loyola Medicine, says there have been very few cases of the flu locally.

"Only in Puerto Rico there's some higher activity right now," Qureshi says. "Atlanta was the only other place I saw there was some moderate activity. But for the majority of the other states, it's been lower than usual for this time of the year."

Qureshi says that's likely because it's still rather early in the flu season.

In order to keep the number of cases down, Qureshi recommends washing your hands frequently, and if you aren't feeling well, get some rest and try to stay away from others as much as possible.