The CDC said Texas has one of the highest flu prevalence’s in the country, and doctors are calling it one of the worst flu seasons for Central Texas.
AUSTIN, Texas —
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Texas has one of the highest prevalence’s of the flu in the country, and doctors are calling it one of the worst flu seasons for Central Texas.
Doctors are seeing a spike when cases normally start to decline this time of year. As a result, they are urging people to use more caution this flu season.
It may be the same messages we hear all the time, but Teladoc Health Dr. Pollyanna Pitt said she can’t stress enough how important it is to wash your hands, get your vaccines and wear a mask when you’re around large crowds.
While vaccines aren’t foolproof, they can still help reduce how sick you get and protect yourself and others.
“The flu may seem like something that we’re so inundated with, something that we’ve heard about for over a decade, right? Like ‘get your flu shot, get your flu shot.’ Every visit you go into the store says ‘get the flu shot.’ But the reality is people are dying,” Pitt said.
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When coughing or sneezing, always try to cover yourself and don’t just spray those germs out. Aim for the crease of your elbow and not your hands, so you reduce spreading those germs when you touch things.
All these tips are important because the flu is always changing and mutating.
“There’s just variation in the flu virus itself. There’s also differences from year to year. In terms of like, what the population has immunity to, just depending on the exposures of what was more prevalent the year before versus what’s prevalent now,” Pitt said.
These recommendations are meant to help prevent you from getting sick, but unfortunately, in many cases, illness can happen regardless of what you do.
If you do find yourself sick, stay home and isolate yourself so as not to get others sick. Stay hydrated and look into virtual doctor visits so you don’t have to be around others.
It’s not too late to get your flu shot for this flu season. You’ll want to get it sooner rather than later because it takes about two weeks to fully go into effect.
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