Tarrant, Texas getting hit earlier and harder by flu cases
If you haven’t gotten the flu vaccine, you might want to hurry up and get it.
Now.
Already, the number of flu cases in Tarrant County and Texas is on the rise.
“We are a little bit ahead” of past years, said Russ Jones, chief epidemiologist at Tarrant County’s Public Health Department.
Texas is among the 30 states across the country already seeing flu cases.
And if the flu season in the United States follows the trend of what happened in Australia, as it tends to do, then this could be an especially bad year. Australia had an early and severe flu season this year.
“It will be longer, which gives more opportunity for a bigger outbreak,” Jones said. “But it’s hard to predict. So we are just watching it.”
While flu cases are diagnosed year round, they are most common during the fall and winter, particularly between December and February.
Each year, more than 200,000 people with the flu are hospitalized across the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
State health officials say the number of flu cases in Texas is on the rise and is at “an above-average level.”
Already, one Texan, a 5-year-old child from the Rio Grande Valley area, has died from the flu. The child did not receive a flu vaccine this year.
And a flu outbreak forced an Austin school to cancel classes for two days this week.
So far, more cases of the B strain, which is not as severe as the A strain, have been reported, Jones said.
“If you haven’t gotten the vaccine, the best time to get it is now,” he said. “We are just at the beginning of ramping things up.
“It’s a race to make sure your body is ready before the flu hits hard.”
Tarrant cases
Here is a look at some data about flu cases in Tarrant County.
▪ The first wave of flu cases hit Cook Children’s in late October when eight children tested positive for the flu — seven for the B strain, which is less severe, and one for the A strain.
By last week, 74 children tested positive for the flu at Cook Children’s: 63 were for the B strain, 11 were for the A strain.
▪ Texas Health Harris Methodist area hospitals have treated hundreds of patients who showed up at emergency rooms with flu-like symptoms since Oct. 1 — 380 patients at the Fort Worth facility; 131 at Alliance; 197 at Southwest Fort Worth; 164 at HEB; and 301 at the Arlington Memorial Hospital, records show.
▪ MedStar crews also have seen an increase in flu cases. The number of calls in September were up 22% over the same time last year. In October, they were up 35% over the same time last year. And so far this month, the number of calls are up 61% over this time last year.
The largest number of their cases, 18.6%, are hitting those between the ages of 30 and 39. The next highest affected is the 50-59 range, with 17.2%. Women make up 62% of the calls, MedStar records show
Symptoms
Symptoms for the flu usually include a fever, cough, sore throat, stuffy nose, body aches, headaches and tiredness.
Anyone can get the flu, even healthy people.
But those most at risk are young children, pregnant women and those 65 or older, along with anyone with chronic medical conditions such as heart disease or asthma.
“Get your flu vaccine,” said Drew Weiner, an emergency medicine physician at Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital. “It’s absolutely not too late. That’s the number one way to help prevent the illness.
“For those who do get sick, try to avoid going to work, going to school,” he said. “Wash your hands and try to keep objects clean if a family member gets the flu to try to prevent the spread of illness.”
This story was originally published November 21, 2019 at 6:00 AM.
