Local hospital systems in Dallas and Fort Worth report a sharp increase in flu cases. It comes as RSV, walking pneumonia, COVID-19 and Norovirus cases spread.
TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — As holiday gatherings wind down, flu cases are on the rise in North Texas. It comes as health officials continue seeing cases of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and COVID-19.
The latest data from Children’s Health shows there were 425 Influenza A cases in the past week systemwide, a 52% increase from the week prior. During the same time period, Children’s Health reported a 13% decrease in RSV cases and a 7% decrease in COVID-19 cases from the week prior.
The latest data from Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth showed that from Dec. 22 through Dec. 28, there were 297 positive Influenza A cases, a 20% positivity rate. RSV cases saw a 28% positivity rate during that same timeframe.
Dr. Nikhil Bhayani, an infection prevention and epidemiology physician adviser at Texas Health Resources, said while illnesses are high, it’s not uncommon for this time of year.
“There’s definitely a significant increase in the number of flu cases across North Texas, but once again, that’s expected especially in early winter and during the holiday season,” Bhayani said.
Jordi Hendrix, a Granbury mom, said her two young children ages two and six months old spent Christmas battling severe cases of the flu. Hendrix’s children were admitted to Cook Children’s Medical Center with high fevers, Hendrix said.
“My two-year-old was not being herself, she was hallucinating because she was just so sick,” Hendrix said. “I was panicked, I was worried.”
Beyond typical respiratory illnesses, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) also sent out a warning about a norovirus outbreak surging nationwide.
Dr. Jeffrey Kahn, an infectious disease specialist at Children’s Health and Professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center in North Texas said the hospital system is not seeing anything alarming with norovirus locally but continues closely monitoring cases of the stomach illness.
“It’s very striking. You’re feeling well, then there’s a sudden episode of vomiting and explosive diarrhea and abdominal pain and this can occur over the matter of just a few hours,” Kahn said.
Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth reported a 27% positivity rate of Norovirus (37 positive cases) between Dec. 22 through Dec. 28.
Kahn said Norovirus is highly contagious and difficult to clean off of surfaces.
To prevent the various illnesses from spreading, Bhayani and Kahn recommend frequent handwashing and vaccinations.
Kahn said it’s not too late to receive a flu vaccine, and there’s an updated COVID-19 vaccine and a newly available RSV vaccine.