Flu season starting slow this year

HENDERSON, Texas ( KETK ) – Flu season is upon us once again, but so far local schools are reporting low cases.

The flu typically starts to manifest in October and can extend all the way until spring. Symptoms of the flu include fever, chills, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle aches, headaches, fatigue and sometimes vomiting.

A physician with CHRISTUS Health recommends washing your hands regularly and getting a flu shot this year.

“It’s spread through respiratory droplets, so covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze, wearing a mask can help social distancing,” said Dr. David Larsen – family medicine specialist at CHRISTUS Mother Frances hospital in Tyler. “The best thing you can do is get your flu shot and wash your hands.”

Flu symptoms can be similar to symptoms of the common cold or COVID. The CDC said you can help identify the flu based on how the symptoms present themselves, as demonstrated in the graphic below:

The CDC said you can’t tell the difference between the flu and COVID-19 by symptoms alone, as they often display the same symptoms. They recommend having a doctor test for both to confirm a diagnosis and treat it accordingly.

Henderson ISD health and wellness coordinator Stephanie Gatlin said the flu begins to show up in schools around the same time every year.

“I’ve been a nurse for 23 years and I’ve been in school nursing since 2019,” Gatlin said. “Typically, it causes fever… basically feeling bad, so it’s that time of year.”

So far, she said they haven’t seen many cases, but they expect cases to increase after fall break.

As flu season gets started, Henderson ISD is encouraging prevention at home to help students stay healthy, with hand washing as their top advice.

As of this writing, overall respiratory illness activity in the United States is low, per the CDC.

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