San Antonio, Texas Being Hit Very Hard by the Flu Right Now

A new report from the Walgreens says San Antonio is one of the cities that has been hardest hit by the flu this season, and Texas right now is number one in the country in cases of influenza, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.

Dr. Peter Hotez, who is an infectious disease expert at Baylor College of Medicine, tells News Radio 1200 WOAI this isn't a surprise.

"About two weeks ago we saw a big uptick in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Oklahoma, and guess what is in the middle of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Oklahoma.," Dr. Hotez said.

The Walgreens study says San Antonio is number nine among all metro areas in the USA in total cases of the flu per capita.  The Brownsville-McAllen area is number one, followed by several other Texas metros, including Tyler, Beaumont, Corpus Christi, Houston, Waco, and Dallas Ft. Worth.  The only cities among the top ten for flu cases that aren't in Texas are Little Rock and Ft. Smith Arkansas.

Dr. Hotez says even people who got flu shots are sniffling and sneezing this year.

"The effectiveness of the vaccine was not very high in preventing cases, but we still think you should get your flu shot, because it is doing a good job in preventing hospitalization and death."

The good news?  San Antonio is not on the list of the ten cities with the biggest gains in flu activity in the past week, and Texas has fallen from number one to number four.


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