FORT WORTH, Texas, January 26, 2024 – Despite a surge in influenza cases across North Texas, life continues at a lively pace in the Fort Worth Stockyards, demonstrating resilience as the new year begins.
Flu Cases Spike in North Texas, New Viral Subclade Emerges
Health officials are tracking a newly identified genetic version of the H3N2 influenza virus, perhaps reducing immunity among the population.
Key Takeaways
- More than 1,000 influenza cases have been confirmed in the Children’s Health system in the past two weeks.
- A new genetic version of the H3N2 influenza virus, called Subclade K, is circulating, potentially reducing immunity among the population.
- Hospitalizations due to the flu are increasing, particularly among those 65 and older and infants to four-year-olds.
- The flu vaccine remains the best defense, and public health officials emphasize good hygiene practices.
Kelly Roque, visiting from South Carolina for a Christian concert, knows firsthand how debilitating the flu can be. “I had to call out of work the whole week as I was staying in bed, I couldn’t even like do anything,” she said, recalling a severe bout of the illness she experienced over the summer.
Doctor Zachary Most at Children’s Health reported a significant increase in cases. “At Children’s and throughout North Texas, we are in the middle of a spike in flu cases,” said Most. “We’re definitely seeing a lot of flu cases right now.” he anticipates this will be the peak of the flu season.
Currently, two main types of influenza virus are circulating locally: Influenza A and Influenza B. within Influenza A, the H3N2 strain is dominant, and health officials are closely monitoring a new progress within it.
“It’s called the Subclade K, and this is a new newly emerging genetic change in the influenza virus, meaning that most people have never been exposed to it before, and so they probably don’t have a lot of preexisting immunity to it,” explained Most. Last year saw a severe flu season nationally, with an estimated 1 million hospital admissions related to the virus.
Data from the Texas Health and Human Services influenza dashboard indicates rising hospitalizations, with the 65-and-older age group and infants to four-year-olds being most affected.
When asked about guidance for parents considering a trip to the emergency room, Dr. Most emphasized the wide range of flu severity. “That’s a very crucial question, and there’s a really wide variance in the severity of influenza infections. Most people who get flu are going to get a fever with a cough and a sore throat and maybe get headaches and myalgia and feel quite ill. Some people, especially some children, will get a more mild illness that’s indistinguishable from a cold and some people will get a more severe illness if the flu virus spreads to your lungs and can be pneumonia, in which case you might need care in the hospital,” he said. “some warning signs to look out for that might warrant bringing your child into the emergency room for additional care include trouble breathing, really severe fatigue or malaise, dehydration, unable to keep fluids down, seizures, or really anything else that you see that’s really worrying some of you that goes beyond the kind of care you can provide at home.”
Dr. Most also reminded the public that it’s not too late to receive the flu vaccine. “in addition to flu vaccine, other things you can do to help protect yourself from flu include hand hygiene, meaning washing your hands with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer frequently, cough etiquette where you cough into your arm or your back of your hand instead of coughing out into the environment.”
