Flu cases rise in Central Texas, U.S.

AUSTIN (KXAN) - The flu is spreading fast across most of the country. Hospitals and clinics are suddenly packed from coast to coast. Those who haven't gotten the flu yet are scrambling to get flu shots where they're available.

In Central Texas, several hospitals are seeing more cases of the flu.

ED RN Gail Starzynski with Scott & White Hospital in Round Rock says they have consistently seen a high level of flu cases over the last couple of weeks. Starzynski says they expect to see the flu at current levels for a few more weeks. Dr Clarence Williams III with Scott & White’s Urgent Care Clinic says they’ve been averaging about four-cases a day.

A spokesperson for St. David's Healthcare says their South Austin Medical Center (which includes St. David's Emergency Center Bastrop, St David's Emergency Center Bee Cave, St. David's Urgent Care Circle C and St. David's Urgent Care Kyle) had seen already seen a total of 281 positive flu tests since the onset of flu season in October 2012!

St. David's Round Rock Medical Center has seen 35 Influenza A cases over the past two weeks and 23 Influenza B cases - for a total of 58 cases. There were only 9 type A and 2 type B flu cases during the 6-week period prior to that.

St. David's Emergency Department in Pflugerville has seen three times as many patients as they did the entire previous flu season. St. David's Georgetown Hospital is not only seeing an increase in flu cases, but also an increase in respiratory infections that can be associated with the flu.

From Austin, Texas to New York the flu is rapidly making its way across the country. Jerome Dukins, a patient in Brooklyn said, "I’m nauseous, burning up, you know, I feel so weak."

New York State has already seen more than 19-thousand cases of the flu nearly five times the cases seen at this time last year.

Officials at the US Centers for Disease Control say the flu is widespread right now in forty-seven states.

Catholic churches in 29 West Texas counties have been told to stop using shared communion cups.
 
Teachers in some East Texas schools are cleaning desks, water fountains and doorknobs.
 
The flu season usually starts in October and peaks from December through February. But this season started a bit earlier -- in September.
 
Dr. Jeffrey Kahn is infectious diseases director at Children's Medical Center in Dallas. He says flu's unpredictable and it's unclear how much longer the season will last.

Children have been especially hard-hit with 20-deaths reported.

"I was just in the hospital with Aaron, now I’m here with Chloe,” says Ashley Carrasquillo, her mother.

A typical flu season lasts about three months meaning this isn't even the half-way mark.

And medical experts say there's still time to get the flu shot - but it doesn't provide protection for about two weeks.

Dr. William Schaffner with Vanderbilt University says "It does prevent the complications, pneumonia, hospitalizations… and ... death."

From Washington State to Boston people are heeding the advice and getting the flu shot.

Mari Bentley, MD, MHP - Chief Medical Officer at the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center says "we've given about 400 flu shots already this morning."

The shot, a last line of defense in an epic flu season that's just still going strong.