SAN ANTONIO – If you’ve been feeling under the weather recently, you’re not alone.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows Texas is one of the dozens of states where reports of respiratory illness are very high.
The data is based on outpatient visits for respiratory illness that includes fever plus a cough or sore throat that have been reported to ILINet, the CDC’s Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network.
This isn’t the first time this year that respiratory viruses have made headlines.
In September, San Antonio doctors warned the public about an increase in respiratory viruses such as the flu, common cold and respiratory syncytial virus, also known as RSV.
One month later, a spike in illnesses was threatening the number of hospital beds available to patients.
In November, Dr. Mandie Tibball Svatek at University Health said doctors were seeing high rates of many different viruses, including RSV, Flu A, and rhinovirus/enterovirus.
Historical data from ILINet shows outpatient visits for respiratory illness this season have far outpaced previous years.
Texas is currently experiencing the highest level of respiratory illness activity, along with New Mexico, California, Washington, New York, Colorado and several others.
Outpatient Respiratory Illness Activity Map Determined by Data Reported to ILINet (CDC)
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