WGA: Whooping Cough, Solar Dermatitis, Staph

If you're feeling under the weather this week, you've got plenty of reason.

From a whooping cough scare to too much fun in the sun, KXAN talked with Central Texas doctors to find out What's Going Around.

Solar dermatitis is the word from Pflugerville. Austin Regional Clinic's Dr. Stephen Powell said this is different from sunburn, because it causes whitish pimples on both of your hands or your arms. Stay out of the sun, and it will go away.

Powell says he's also seeing a lot of allergies, sports injuries and flu-like viruses with the fever, sore throat and body aches. It's not the flu, and he says it will run its course with plenty of TLC.

Capital Pediatrics' Dr. Allen Frank said the recent whooping cough scare has a lot of parents on edge. Pertussis is the medical term for this very dangerous disease. It is especially dangerous for infants under 6 months old.

In fact, an employee at Seton Medical Center may have exposed mothers who gave birth during the month of May. So call your doctor, because antibiotics can clear things up.

Frank said MRSA, or staph infections, are still a problem. Plus, he says there's always plenty of gastroenteritis. That's vomiting and diarrhea. It just goes around this time of year.

In fact, Frank says gastroenteritis can be a virus, or it can come from bacteria, especially in dirty swimming pools and water parks.

KXAN checked in with the LCRA to find out about the bacteria levels in area lakes. 

Officials said the runoff from last weekend's rains is still going strong. So the best advice is to not swim for at least another week in local lakes and streams. The high bacteria could make you very sick.