Houston doctors urge preventative measures as flu outbreaks cause school closures in North Texas – Houston Public Media

AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File

Flu season is in full swing, with outbreaks having caused recent school closures in North Texas. Health experts in Houston say the city is unlikely to face similar disruptions, though they emphasize the importance of preventive measures.

Flu season typically lasts from October through May, with its peak occurring in January or February. The influenza A virus remains the dominant strain in Texas, local doctors said, while cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19 are comparatively low.

Dr. S. Wesley Long, medical director of diagnostic microbiology at Houston Methodist Hospital, acknowledged a recent spike in flu cases but said Houston-area schools are unlikely to follow suit in terms of closures. He attributes this to several factors, including differences in population density and staffing levels between rural and urban areas.

“I wouldn’t worry about shutdowns unless staffing shortages became an issue,” Long said.

He also noted that flu cases tend to spread more easily in dry environments, which could explain why outbreaks have been more severe in the northern and western parts of Texas.

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Dr. Farrah Kheradmand, a professor of pulmonary medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, stressed the importance of flu vaccination, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

“It is not too late to get the vaccine,” Kheradmand said. “I would still recommend anyone over the age of 6 months to get the flu vaccine.”

Health experts encourage Houston-area residents to take other preventive measures, such as handwashing and staying home when sick to minimize the virus’ spread.

For those experiencing flu symptoms, there are at-home tests that can be taken in order to avoid crowded waiting rooms where the virus can more easily spread.

The Texas Department of State Health Services recommends that children with the flu should not attend school or daycare until at least 24 hours after their fever subsides without using medication.

The Comanche, Godley and Morgan school districts, all of which are southwest of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, recently closed their campuses because of flu outbreaks. As of Tuesday, Houston-area schools had not reported any closures due to respiratory illnesses.

In addition to regular flu reports released by the Houston Health Department, a respiratory illness tracker is compiled by Houston Methodist. The state health department also has a dashboard tracking respiratory illnesses.