HOUSTON – Clinics, urgent cares, and emergency rooms are seeing more cases this season, and health experts say it’s shaping up to be one of the heavier flu years in recent memory.
Dr. Linda Yancey, an infectious disease specialist with Memorial Hermann in Katy, said the virus is widespread in the community.
“We’re seeing a lot of it in the clinics, in the urgent cares, in our emergency rooms,” Dr. Yancey said.
A heavier season impacting kids
“This is one of the heavier flu seasons we’ve had in the past 10 years,” Yancey said, noting that every flu season is different.
She also stressed that influenza tends to hit the extremes of age: the very young and the very old and children can become seriously ill.
Parents should watch closely for symptoms that signal it’s time to call a doctor or seek emergency care.
High fevers are a major red flag, Yancey said, especially if they persist.
“High fevers above 101… little kids can run really high fevers, 103, 104… So if your little kid is running fevers of above 101 consistently, please give your pediatrician a call,” she said.
And breathing problems should be treated as an emergency.
Houston Health Department: Flu up, and severity may be what feels different
In Houston, Dr. Theresa Tran, director of the Houston Health Department and an emergency physician, said flu activity is higher than last year, though not necessarily outside what public health typically expects.
Tran said the health department tracks flu trends through wastewater surveillance and syndromic data from health-care visits across the region.
According to Tran, wastewater testing is showing “a lot of influenza A,” along with RSV, and a slight increase in COVID.
She said case counts often follow a familiar rhythm: a rise around Thanksgiving, a dip during the holiday period when people delay doctor visits or travel, and then another increase into January when flu often peaks.
Tran added that what many families are experiencing as “worse” may be tied to how hard symptoms are hitting, especially in children.
She said doctors are seeing sicker pediatric patients and cases of pneumonia associated with influenza (compounded by RSV.)
Why doctors still push the shot
Even in a year when the vaccine may not match every circulating strain, doctors say it still matters.
Yancey described flu vaccines as protection that reduces severity, not a guarantee that you won’t get sick.
“Vaccines are not impenetrable barriers. They are more like seat belts,” she said.
Her message: even if someone still catches the flu after vaccination, the shot can help prevent ICU-level illness and death.
Tran agreed, calling vaccination the best prevention step, to be used alongside washing hands, staying home when sick, and teaching kids to cover coughs.
Tran also emphasized the practical cost of getting sick.
She said the flu can take people out for about 10 days, costing families productivity and kids’ classroom time.
A mom’s hesitancy: ‘I don’t want to get the flu shot’
Not everyone is convinced.
Robin Rasch, a local mom, said she’s skipping the flu shot this season.
Rasch said she doesn’t want to get the flu shot and is leaning instead on hygiene and hydration.
Her hesitation reflects a broader split playing out in many households: concerns about vaccines and differing comfort levels with risk.
“Follow the science, not the politics”
Tran said many insurance plans cover flu shots at no cost, and people without insurance can get vaccinated through clinics and community programs.
For resources, she recommends:
- Texas 2-1-1 (to locate free or low-cost vaccine clinics)
- Houston Health Department: houstonhealth.org
- Houston Health Department call center: 832-393-4220
Asked about shifting vaccine recommendations and the politics surrounding immunizations, Yancey urged families to look to medical experts, not political debate.
“Follow the science, not the politics,” she said.
She recommends talking with your pediatrician and consulting the American Academy of Pediatrics for updated guidance.