Flu cases on the rise in North Texas

DENTON, Texas - The flu is hitting North Texas hard this season.

Children's Health is seeing double the number of cases compared with peak flu numbers in the previous two years.

Both Children's Health and Cook's Children's say they are seeing far more children hospitalized with the flu compared to the last few years.

Flu numbers on the rise in Texas

By the numbers:

Data from the Texas Department of Health and Human Services show that influenza numbers have climbed each week.

Children's Health saw 331 total cases the first week of January. That number more than tripled by the end of January with 1,101 cases.

READ MORE: Flu season doctor visits are at highest level in 15 years

The CDC estimates across the US, that at least 24 million flu illnesses have occurred so far this season, leading to 310,000 hospitalizations and 13,000 deaths, including 57 children.

Flu activity remains high or very high in 43 states, with the South, Southwest, and western regions reporting the most severe outbreaks.

North Texas 7-year-old hospitalized with flu

Local perspective:

James Menard, an otherwise healthy 7-year-old who had gotten a flu shot, started feeling bad after school last week.

"He played all afternoon, this was last Tuesday, went to bed like normal. Then he woke us up in the middle of the night. He was really struggling to breathe. You could see him sucking in around the collar bone and throat area," said Steve Menard, James' dad. 

Menard says he was thankful he followed his instincts and took his son to the hospital.

"Like most parents, I was trying to decide, do I want to have a middle of the night ER visit, is he going to get better? He was struggling so much we decided to bring him to the emergency room, and it was a good thing we did," he said.

James needed to be transferred from Denton to Children's Health Plano.

"His blood oxygen was down in the low 80s, which is a dangerous range for kids to be in. He was still really struggling to breathe. His body was actually kind of convulsing as he tried to breathe," Menard recalled.  "The doctors reassured me when I brought him in, that it was very critical that I did that."

James was diagnosed with Type-A flu combined with a cold virus.

"It was horrible. It was horrifying being in an ambulance," James said.

Fortunately, the 7-year-old has made a full recovery, outside of a lingering cough.

Why is flu season so severe this year?

Dig deeper:

Flu vaccination rates remain stagnant among adults and lower than usual for children. According to the CDC:

• 44% of U.S. adults have received a flu shot, the same rate as last winter.
• 45% of children have been vaccinated, down from the typical 50%.

The dominant flu strains this season are Type A H1N1 and Type A H3N2, which have been linked to severe flu seasons in the past. Health officials are also closely monitoring H5N1, a bird flu strain that has affected millions of animals but has infected only 67 people in the U.S.

How to stay protected

What you can do:

Health officials recommend taking basic precautions to reduce the risk of flu and other seasonal illnesses, including:

• Washing hands frequently with soap and water.
• Avoiding touching your face, especially the eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Cleaning frequently touched surfaces.
• Staying home if sick to prevent spreading the virus.

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