Cases of the flu are on the rise across the country, and that includes Texas. State epidemiologist Varun Shetty of the Department of Health Human Services said he is still waiting to see if this flu season ends up worse than last year.
“Our activity is very similar to many parts of the country,” he said. “Most of the country is experiencing moderate to very high activity levels right now for respiratory illnesses in general, and Texas is on the higher end of that.”
Shetty said that nowhere in Texas is a particular hot spot for flu activity, but that flu-related emergency room visits are highest in Houston and the DFW areas.
“That is something that we would expect. Those are our largest population areas. Most of those visits are among pediatric-aged populations, so young children in our state,” he said.
“When we look at hospitalization rates, however, that can control for population, so looking at a per-100,000 population rate, the rates are highest right now in West Texas, followed by the region in North Texas, including the Panhandle and South Plains.”
Shetty said the best way to protect yourself from flu — along with other respiratory infections like COVID and RSV — is to get vaccinated.
“Everyone ages six months and up is eligible for those protections. It’s not too late to protect yourself this season with a vaccine,” he said. “It’s important to know that these vaccines are very safe and effective in protecting you from becoming ill, from transmitting it to others, and becoming so sick that you might need to go to the hospital.”
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Shetty said one way to prevent further spread is to take symptoms seriously early on. If you have a cough, a runny nose, a sore throat, or a headache, try to avoid situations where you are in close contact with other people, he said.
“One of the big things to keep in mind is that if you are starting to become sick, practice those really common, everyday approaches. If you’re sick, stay away from others,” he said. “If you are sick, seek medical attention sooner than later. Getting tested early is important. You may be eligible for medicines that could shorten the duration of your illness and potentially keep you out of the hospital and being so sick that you might need hospital care.”
Shetty said Texas is also seeing an increase of COVID-19 cases as part of the winter season.
“The baseline that we deal with year to year is higher,” he said. “We’ve got another disease to add to the list of respiratory diseases that can make people sick, that could cause strain on our hospital systems and our resources and really just cause people to become very ill.”
You can find more information about the illnesses that are circulating on the Department of Health and Human Services’s Interactive Respiratory Disease Dashboard.
