texas

Flu, RSV Cases on Rise in North Texas

It's that time of year again. Flu cases are on the rise in North Texas, health officials say.

A report out Friday from the Texas Department of State Health Services shows the number of cases grew by more than 18 percent in the week before Christmas.

The trend is proving true at The Medical Center of Plano, where doctors say they've seen a 420-percent increase in cases in December compared to November. Most cases, they say, have been since Christmas Day.

Dr. Russell McDonald, with Plano Pediatrics, says usually holiday breaks are when flu cases tend to level off because kids aren't at school sharing germs.

But instead, they say cases are surging.

"If anything, to me, that's the worrisome thing. If flu is surging now and school starts next week, Tuesday, I think the middle, end of January we could be seeing a lot of flu," Russell said.

Despite the increase, it isn't being considered an outbreak. As of Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Texas has minimal levels of influenza-like illness activity.

Doctors and the state say they're also seeing more cases of RSV, a respiratory virus considered even more contagious than the flu.

Doctors aren't required by law to report RSV cases to DSHS so it's unknown how many cases have been diagnosed, and how much they may have increased.

Contact Us