Flu season came early and hit hospitals and clinics around the county hard. Texas is one out of 23 states that has seen a major spike in flu cases.
Representatives for Parkland Hospital, Children's Health, and Medical City Health all point to a major spike in FLU and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) cases.
At Parkland Hospital, last week there were 184 flu cases. In the past month, 44 patients were admitted due to pneumonia.
At Children's Health, during the month of November 1 percent of patients tested positive for the flu. In December, 32.6 percent of patients tested positive for the flu. Patients with RSV is at 26 percent during the month of December.
RSV can lead to bronchitis and pneumonia, which is caused by an infection in the lungs. The flu (which is viral) and pneumonia (which is bacterial) are two different illnesses but carry some of the same symptoms.
During the holiday season, its important guard against (not only the flu) but the "super infection." According to doctors, the term "super infection" is used when a patient tests positive for the flu, gets better, but then develops pneumonia.
Take a look at this flu map from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to see the flu activity state by state.
