Native well being officers are involved about one other tough flu season as a brand new variant of the H3N2 virus spreads and circumstances creep up in Bexar County.
The 2024-25 flu season was one of many worst in at the very least the final decade within the U.S. with at the very least 43 million symptomatic diseases, 19 million medical visits, 560,000 hospitalizations, and 38,000 deaths, in accordance with preliminary numbers by the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention launched in September.
“We often take a look at what occurred within the Southern Hemisphere to get an thought of how unhealthy issues can be for us right here within the U.S. for flu season,” mentioned Dr. Junda Woo, medical director at San Antonio’s Metropolitan Well being District. “And it does appear to be it may very well be worse.”
The priority is pushed by low flu vaccination charges and a brand new variant of the H3N2 virus, “subclade Okay,” which emerged late in the summertime and has been driving an explosion of influenza circumstances in the UK.
Though this 12 months’s flu shot isn’t one of the best match for what’s spreading, the shot will nonetheless supply some immunity and reduce the probabilities of extreme sickness from the flu. Native officers are urging residents to get their shot in the event that they haven’t already. Right here’s every little thing you might want to know in regards to the new variant and the place to get vaccinated.
Subclade Okay
Emergency room visits and constructive influenza checks are on the rise in Bexar County, knowledge from the San Antonio Metropolitan Well being District reveals. As of Nov. 29, over 10% of flu checks got here again constructive throughout well being care suppliers within the San Antonio space, up from beneath 1% initially of November.
The will increase are typical for this time of 12 months, Woo mentioned. Over the past flu season in Bexar County, flu circumstances began to rise round this time, peaked over the past week of January after which fell considerably, reaching low ranges by April.
This 12 months, the influenza A or H3N2 virus is driving most illness. A variation of the virus, subclade Okay, emerged late in the summertime after vaccine producers had already began rolling out this 12 months’s flu shot. Consequently, the present vaccine won’t be one of the best match for what’s spreading.
The shot nonetheless gives safety towards different strains, nonetheless, and simply because one pressure is the predominant one now doesn’t imply that gained’t change. One of many greatest advantages of the flu vaccine is decreased threat of significant sickness from influenza if you happen to do get sick, defined Dr. Jose Coba, an infectious illness doctor at Methodist Hospital.
“Your immune system will nonetheless be primed … it’ll nonetheless have the ability to acknowledge it and have some antibodies essential to lower the severity,” Coba mentioned, including that everybody ought to get vaccinated, no matter whether or not you’re in a high-risk group like seniors and younger kids or comparatively wholesome.
Vaccination charges are usually not the place the town and well being officers would really like them to be.
Through the 2022-23 flu season, vaccination charges for kids have been round 57% and 38% for adults in Texas. The grownup vaccination price was considerably decrease than the nationwide common, in accordance with knowledge from the CDC and Texas Division of State Well being Companies.
“I’m notably involved for kids and seniors,” Woo mentioned. “Once we say it was a nasty season final 12 months … we noticed 280 influenza-associated pediatric deaths (within the U.S.). That’s much more than normal, and much more than it must be, contemplating that this can be a vaccine preventable illness.”
The place to get your flu shot
The annual flu shot is advisable for everybody six months and older. Sure teams are at greater threat for extreme sickness from the flu, together with younger kids, older adults, pregnant girls, and folks with continual well being circumstances like diabetes, bronchial asthma, most cancers, weight problems and coronary heart illness.
You probably have medical insurance, you’ll be able to nonetheless get your flu shot freed from cost beneath most well being plans at any pharmacy, main care physician, native clinics and hospitals.
College Well being administers flu pictures at quite a few places on a walk-in foundation, however their free flu shot vaccination drives have now handed. Metro Well being’s Immunization Clinic at 210 N. Mel Waiters Approach gives flu pictures by appointment.
When you’re uninsured on the lookout for low- to no-cost choices, Metro Well being is providing free flu pictures on Friday, Dec. 12, on the Cody Department Library at 11441 Vance Jackson Street from midday to 4 p.m.
You may additionally qualify for 2 state packages providing low-cost pictures, the Texas Vaccine for Kids and Grownup Security Web packages.
