Doctors in North Texas are reporting an uptick in flu patients showing up to their offices already this fall, and the reason could be due to a heightened awareness of the Ebola virus.
Ebola and the flu have some similar symptoms in that they both cause fevers and muscle aches. As a result, folks concerned about Ebola are not only screened for that but also for the flu.
“We are testing more often for the symptoms because of the whole Ebola screening, too,” said Dr. Roger Khetan.
Just last week there were four positive flu cases in North Texas, and each was a middle-aged, healthy adult.
“I would say the natural person is usually a little concerned about fever, especially if they travel, and so we are going to be very careful about travel screening. And I think everyone screening is because we are still unfortunately the epicenter for what was Ebola,” said Khetan.
