Flu season is here early, and health authorities are predicting the number of sick to continue to rise in Comal County over the next few months.
Cases of probable flu reported to the Comal County Health Department skyrocketed over the past week, with more than five times as many patients as the week before.
From Sept. 12 to Sept. 19, 304 people were suffering from some strain of flu or influenza-like illness, according to county health department statistics, up from 66 the previous week and 15 a week before that.
The sharp increase before November or December has county health officials bracing for what could be a severe flu season, and pointing to the H1N1 virus, or “swine flu,” as the culprit.
“This is the new virus, the H1N1 virus, that we’re seeing reported,” said County Health Authority Dr. Dorothy Overman. “It’s unusual that we’re seeing this many cases this early in the year, and it’s a big concern.”
Representatives from Christus Santa Rosa Hospital — New Braunfels said Tuesday they’ve also seen an increase in flu-like illnesses coming through the emergency room, and state statistics show that the spike in flu cases isn’t just a local phenomenon.
Statewide, the flu was categorized as “widespread” Tuesday by the Texas Department of State Health Services, meaning flu-like illnesses and lab-confirmed flu cases have risen in at least half of the health department’s 11 public health regions.
After a previous flare-up of H1N1 cases in late April and early May, Overman said health officials were predicting that the virus would re-appear around this time.
“We were expecting this,” she said. “We had a little peek of (H1N1) last spring, which made us very concerned that it would likely resurface about the same time as our regular flu season. We expect the number of cases to go up significantly.”
At the beginning of May, officials closed down every school in both Comal and New Braunfels independent school districts after cases of H1N1 had been confirmed in Comal County. At that time, County Judge Danny Scheel also asked that residents avoid public gatherings.
Overman said those precautions, which at the time were recommended by the National Centers for Disease Control, were taken after the disease had killed a number of children in Mexico.
“They thought this was going to be a major killer,” she said. “Everyone was taking lots of precautions. Now we’ve had a chance to learn a lot more about the virus.”
Although cases are on the rise now, both she and County Nurse Gwen Mills said people should take simple steps to avoid any virus.
“The flu is the flu,” Mills said.
She said basic precautions such as washing hands, covering coughs and sneezes and staying home when experiencing flu symptoms can help prevent spreading disease. The state health department also recommends getting traditional seasonal flu vaccinations.
“It’s always a good idea,” said Carlyn Pfeuffer, who along with her husband Michael and daughter Katie, was getting vaccinated Tuesday at the county health department.
One of the reasons it’s a good idea, Overman said, is that people could potentially get infected with two different types of flu strains.
“Then they could be really sick,” she said.
H1N1 vaccinations should be available by mid-October, according to the state health department.
For updated information about the flu statewide, visit www.texasflu.org.
For local information on the H1N1 pandemic, there will be a town hall meeting from 6:30 to 7 p.m. Oct. 8 at the McKenna Events Center, with information from the county, the state health department and the Texas A&M University Health Science Center.
