Turning our attention to a different infectious disease.
The flu is inflicting more fever-coughing-aching misery across Houston and much of the U.S. than it has in years.
While most people will recover, thousands have already died during the 2024-2025 flu season, federal and state data released Friday show. In our corner of Texas, more than 900 people have died so far from pneumonia and influenza-related causes in the 16-county region that includes Harris, Montgomery, Fort Bend, Brazoria, Chambers and Galveston counties.
A child in Harris County is among those deaths, county health officials told Houston Landing. The child, who is not being identified, also had other health complications at the time they died in January.
“We all know someone who’s had flu this season,” said Dr. Ericka Brown, local health authority with Harris County Public Health. “For most people, it will run its course. You’ll feel terrible for seven to 10 days, maybe 14 days.”
“Unfortunately, though, we can never tell those who it will affect more severely, and we are seeing increased hospitalizations,” Brown said.
The current flu season is also happening amid what experts consider the worrying spread of a type of H5N1 avian influenza virus to new species of animals and a small number of humans.
Although health authorities continue to say the risk from H5N1 to the general public remains low, the virus has shown greater ability to infect and sicken a wider range of mammals, including dairy cattle and cats. This is raising concerns that H5N1 could possibly become a pandemic virus for humans.
Nearly 70 human cases of H5N1 influenza have been reported across the U.S during the past year, with one of the first cases identified last year in Texas. On Friday, Wyoming health officials announced they had identified that state’s first human case of H5N1 influenza in an older woman who remains hospitalized.
There’s more, so read the rest. It’s not too late to get a flu shot if you want one – I get mine every year in September or October, but now is better than never. The flu vaccine has a lower rate of effectiveness than most other vaxes simply because there’s so many strains and the annual shot is a best guess at what will be most prevalent. It’s still going to improve your odds by quite a bit. Your Local Epidemiologist has more.