Texas releases latest flu report ahead of the holidays

All right. Flu season is ramping up and doctors say Houston could be next. The latest state flu numbers are coming out today. So Olivia Dance is here with what doctors are seeing and why they say it could get worse before it gets better. Yeah, unfortunately, Denise. So we're still waiting for the weekly report to be released. Hopefully that's coming out a little later this morning. But Texas is currently seeing moderate flu activity and an increase in flu emergency room visits. Health officials say that high levels of flu in Louisiana mean a surge in cases is This is headed our way and this It's actually the earliest flu peak that we've seen since swine flu, if you remember that, back in 2009 and 2010. Now, according to the CDC, more than 9% of flu tests nationwide are coming back positive. Those numbers could be skewed, though, because that's just based on people going to get tested. If you do catch the flu, though, most people can recover at home. However, influenza pneumonia is the biggest threat. So if you have any shortness of breath, you should certainly go to the ER just to be safe. And I spoke with Dr. Linda Yancey, an infectious disease expert at Memorial Hermann, who suggests getting the flu vaccine now because it takes about three weeks to reach full effectiveness. So it'll kick in in time for the holidays. Vaccines are not impenetrability barriers, they're more like seatbelts. They will protect you in case of an illness. I have gotten the flu vaccine every year since 1999. I have absolutely gotten influenza in that time. One year I even had influenza pneumonia, but I never ended up on a ventilator and I never died. So antivirals like Tamiflu can also shave off about 12 hours of symptoms for the average person. And when you're not feeling good with the flu, 12 hours definitely makes a difference. But it does come with a cost. So besides feeling sick, the average price tag for the flu with insurance is $25 to $150. And then without insurance, you're looking at $195 to $395. And Denise, that's for the medication, the test, and also a trip to the doctor. Well, hopefully we can all find ways to try and stay healthy. Yeah, absolutely. Thank you.