Dallas Independent School District

North Texas Flu Numbers on the Rise

Dallas County Health and Human Services now reports 2,425 confirmed cases of the flu this season, with one death, according to the latest numbers released Friday evening.

And Tarrant County reports 1,270 confirmed cases with two deaths this flu season.

With the number of flu cases increasing, it has been very busy at CityDoc Urgent Care.

“We are probably seeing 10 to 15 cases a day,” said Dr. Staci Benson.

Many flu patients are taking Tamiflu to fight the virus, and in some cases, so are their relatives.

“If you have family members that were exposed, they, too, can go on Tamiflu, just to help the virus from replicating,” added Benson.

Schools are taking preventative measures as well. At schools in the Dallas Independent School District, signs have been posted about proper hand washing, and there are hand sanitizers in the buildings. Plus, they have increased cleaning to try to keep germs to a minimum.

“The flu has hit us pretty hard, mainly with our adult population and our students at the high schools,” said Jennifer Finley, DISD Division 3 Nurse Supervisor.

Staff have been affected, too. There are 12 DISD nurses now out with the flu.

“It is unusual to previous years, especially since most of our nurses are very good about getting their flu shot,” added Finley.

But this year, the virus has mutated, so the flu shot isn’t as effective against one strain, H3N2.

“This year we are seeing people who got the flu shot getting the flu,” added Dr. Benson.

NBC 5's Amanda Guerra contributed to this report.

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