The weather is getting warmer, but flu season appears to be far from over. Pediatricians in North Texas said they’ve seen an unusually late spike in influenza cases. Dr. Marcial Oquendo said the medical world was a bit surprised by this.
“It’s a very interesting phenomenon because we were not expecting to see flu this late into the year,” Oquendo said.
Flu season typically starts in November, and according to the CDC, it can peak between January and February. But here we are mid-March and pediatricians in North Texas said the flu is in full swing.
Cook Children’s Medical Center said pediatric flu cases in 2019-2020 peaked near the end of January. This year, they’re seeing a spike as we move into April.
Dr. Oquendo said several factors are at play here. One reason is activities have resumed now that COVID cases are down.
“[People say] well I feel fine, I’m already boosted, I have all my shots,” he said. “And even the recommendation of the CDC has been to reduce indoor masking so that all contributes to the fact that we are going to see a spike in flu.”
He said the cases are just as severe as they would be during a normal flu season. As for when cases will crest and begin to decline, Oquendo said it’s a game of wait and see.
“We have our spring breaks, but once those kids come back, we might start seeing it spread in schools more,” he said. “Until those numbers come down, we won’t be able to tell. But a normal season usually lasts about three months.”
For more information on flu season visit https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/season/flu-season.htm
