Flu season has arrived in Austin. Here's what you need to know

Nicole Villalpando, Austin American-Statesman
·6 min read

The 2022-2023 flu season has officially arrived, and influenza cases are being seen locally and across the state.

Experts have predicted that this season is going to be a doozy, when it comes to the flu, based on what Australia has already experienced and based on having two years without a big flu season during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the week ending Oct. 8, the latest data, Texas is one of five states that has a high rate of influenza, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New York, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and the District of Columbia, also had high rates.

Austin Public Health began its flu surveillance for the season on Oct. 2, and on Monday released its first set of data through Oct. 8. Two schools in Travis County have reported outbreaks, according to Austin Public Health.

Locally, 6% of visits to clinics or doctor's offices have been for influenza. In previous seasons, that number was well below 2% at this time of year. About 33% of tests are coming back positive for flu. Influenza A is the primary flu strain being seen in Central Texas.

Locally, there have not been any deaths attributed to flu cases.

Flu season is happening as rates of COVID-19 remain in the low category locally, and cases of monkeypox have started to level off.

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How do you know it's the flu?

Flu symptoms typically include:

  • Fever or chills

  • Cough, sore throat

  • Runny or congested nose

  • Muscle or body aches

  • Headache

  • Fatigue

  • Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea, which is more common in children.

Because these are often the same symptoms as other respiratory illnesses and COVID-19, talk to your doctor about what tests you might need.

How can you prevent the flu?

It's all the things we've been doing for COVID-19: Avoiding crowded areas. Getting vaccinated. Staying at home when we're sick.

You can be contagious with the flu from one day before symptoms arrive to up to seven days after becoming sick, according to Austin Public Health.

Follow these hygiene tips:

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap is unavailable.

  • Cough and sneeze into your sleeve or into a tissue.

  • Avoid touching your nose, mouth and eyes.

  • Clean and disinfect surfaces that could be contaminated with flu.

"Now is not the time to let our guard down," Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes said in September. "Everyone, especially children and seniors, need flu protection. This time last year we were fighting the COVID-19 delta variant, and we protected our most vulnerable from COVID-19 and flu with a combination of masking and vaccine. Let’s do it again."

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Who can get vaccinated?

Anyone 6 months and older can be vaccinated for the flu. Doctors recommend people "Say boo to the flu," which means getting a flu shot before Halloween. It takes about two weeks from the time you get a flu shot before you have full protection and the protection generally lasts six to nine months, according to medical experts.

It typically takes about two weeks to reach maximum effectiveness.

Austin Public Health is especially recommending flu shots for people in these categories because of the chance of severe illness:

  • Adults 65 years and older

  • Children younger than 5 years

  • Pregnant women

  • People with chronic medical conditions

  • Health care workers

  • Individuals who live with an/or care for high-risk individuals

You can get a COVID-19 vaccination or booster at the same time as your flu shot. The new omicron-variant boosters have been approved for anyone 5 years and older. They are they only type of booster available.

Flu shots generally are free for people who have insurance and are available at most pharmacies and primary care physicians' offices.

If you don't have insurance, Austin Public Health has vaccine clinics with reduced rates or even free vaccinations for those who cannot pay. The Far South Clinic, 405 W. Stassney Lane, and the St. John Clinic, 7500 Blessing Ave., are both open from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. Mondays, from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, and from 8 to 11:30 a.m. Fridays. On the first Saturday of each month, the Far South Clinic is open from 8 a.m. to noon. The third Saturday of the month, the St. John Clinic is open from 8 a.m. to noon. You can make an appointment by calling 512-972-5520.

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Which flu shot should I get?

Check with a doctor if you have a question about whether you can get a flu shot. Children ages 6 months to 3 years sometimes will receive a different form of the shot or half the dosage.

Kids 8 and younger need two shots one month apart the first time they get a flu shot to build up immunity. People ages 9 and up don’t need to get two shots even if they’ve never had a flu shot, said Dr. Leighton Ellis, pediatric department chair for St. David’s Children’s Hospital. The CDC assumes that at some point they’ve been exposed to the flu and have some natural immunity to it if they’ve made it to age 9.

For adults 65 and older, a high-dose flu vaccine is available. It is designed to improve their immunity to the flu. Immunity in older adults starts to wane more quickly, usually around six months. Kids’ immunity lasts 12 to 18 months, and typical adults usually have about 18 months of immunity. (That doesn’t mean adults should skip the shot one flu season because strains of the flu change each year and the shot is for that year’s strains.)

That high-dose vaccine is especially important for people who have had a bad bout of the flu despite getting the flu shot in the past. People

The side effects for all of these are similar, and typically it’s irritation at the site of the shot.

Sometimes people who are allergic to eggs have been told not to get a flu shot, but that is no longer true. If you previously had a severe allergic reaction to a flu shot, check with your doctor and have your shot given in a doctor's office, where you can be monitored afterward.

"I can't think of a patient that shouldn't get the flu shot," said Dr. Vivek Goswami, a cardiologist at Austin Heart.

Is there an alternative to a shot?

For people afraid of needles, a nasal spray vaccine is available for ages 2 to 49. FluMist, though, is not for everyone. It is a live virus, not the inactive virus in the flu shot. It is not for pregnant people or anyone with asthma, immune suppression or a history of cancer. Austin Public Health also does not recommend it for people who are 65 or older. It also shouldn’t be given with other vaccines.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Flu season has arrived in Austin. Here's what you need to know