Flu levels are climbing in Bexar County
Updated 10:45 pm, Thursday, December 19, 2013
SAN ANTONIO — It's beginning to look a lot like flu season in San Antonio.
“Nationally, the numbers have increased compared to last week, and that's what we've seen here in Bexar County,” said Anil T. Mangla, assistant director of health for the city of San Antonio. “We are advising people to get vaccinated. It's still not too late.”
Texas was one of four states experiencing high levels of influenza-like illness as of Dec. 7, according to the most recent data available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The others were Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Health Service Region 8, which includes Bexar County, has reported increasing flu activity in each of the past few weeks, Chris Van Deusen, spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services, wrote in an email.
Still, the picture is better this year than last, when the flu season started early and climbed to record heights.
Influenza cases are down overall in Bexar County compared to this time last year, although the number may increase in January, Mangla said. There have been no flu deaths in Bexar County this season.
Cases of the H1N1 flu virus, otherwise known as swine flu, are up in Bexar County. Most of the pediatric and adult flu cases that Methodist Healthcare has seen since Thanksgiving are the H1N1 strain from 2009, a Methodist spokeswoman said.
“The predominant strain (of flu) last year was the B strain,” Mangla said. “This year, we've seen a significant increase in the A strain, especially the H1N1.”
That reflects a national trend, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The H1N1 virus caused a worldwide pandemic in 2009. Health authorities declared the pandemic over in 2010, but H1N1 continues to circulate. The H1N1 virus is part of the current flu vaccine, so people who get a flu shot are less likely to be infected.
Health officials are investigating an outbreak of a flu-like illness that has infected eight people in Montgomery County, which is part of the Houston metropolitan area.
Four of the people have died, according to a statement from the Montgomery County Hospital District. None of the patients who died had received a flu shot.
Most flu cases are not required to be reported to public health authorities, so the state doesn't know how many cases are in Texas or if there have been any deaths from the flu.
How to avoid spreading and catching the flu
Get a flu shot. Find a vaccine provider at flu.gov.
Cover mouth and nose with a tissue or elbow when coughing or sneezing.
Wash your hands frequently with soap and water, especially after coughing and sneezing, and use alcohol-based hand sanitizers where available.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick. If you're sick, don't go to work, school, social events or public gatherings.
Sources: San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, Dr. Dan Hoyumpa
CDC's flu site
Texas health department's flu site
Find a flu vaccine provider
The state health department does track pediatric flu deaths, and none had been reported as of a Dec. 13 surveillance report, the most recent report available, according to Van Deusen.
Health officials recommend everyone at least 6 months old get vaccinated. Young children, seniors and people with underlying medical conditions such as diabetes and asthma are more susceptible to severe complications from the flu, said Dr. Dan Hoyumpa, medical director of the three San Antonio locations of Texan Urgent Care.
A nasal spray version of the vaccine is available for healthy people ages 2 to 49 who are not pregnant. A high-dose vaccine is available for people 65 and older. It takes about two weeks to develop the antibodies after receiving the flu vaccine.
Tamiflu, a prescription medicine to treat the flu, can decrease severity of the illness if taken within a day or two after the flu begins, Hoyumpa said.
Influenza kills an average of 23,600 Americans a year, according to the CDC.