Flu cases surge in North Texas
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Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios. Photo: Dan Higgins/CDC
The country's worst flu outbreak in more than a decade has left nearly every state with high or very high levels of flu activity.
Why it matters: This year's outbreak underscores how pandemic precautions may have left us more vulnerable to seasonal respiratory diseases, Axios' Adriel Bettelheim reports.
- Texas is now among 11 states with the highest level of flu activity, per the CDC.
The big picture: Flu-related hospital admissions over Thanksgiving week almost doubled nationally over the previous week and were the highest seen for that period since the 2010-2011 season, per the CDC.
Threat level: The flu is just one part of a tripledemic that also includes RSV and new strains of COVID, and the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays are likely to worsen the outbreaks.
By the numbers: In Texas, at least 4,600 people saw a doctor because of flu-like symptoms the week of Thanksgiving.
- The same week, Dallas County had 245 flu-related hospitalizations and one death. The county has also had one pediatric flu-related death so far this season.
- In Tarrant County, almost 22% of visits to health care providers during Thanksgiving week were because of flu-like symptoms.
Of note: Data for last week's flu cases nationally and locally hasn’t been released yet. The effect of Thanksgiving gatherings will become more apparent once that happens.
Be smart: Harvard Medical School advises getting vaccinated, meeting in places where there's good ventilation and protecting vulnerable loved ones to reduce the risk of getting a respiratory virus.