SAN ANTONIO – The first reason doctors think this could be a tough flu season for Americans has to do with what’s happening in other countries.
Australia is always where experts look first, because it has opposite seasons and the flu hits there first. Japan already declared a flu epidemic in October, and the United Kingdom is struggling too.
Some people in San Antonio can already relate.
Joe Soliz, a mariachi music teacher for San Antonio Independent School District’s Mark Twain Academy, has been teaching for 48 years. He hates having to miss school when he’s sick, but that’s exactly what he had to do early this week when he came down with a bad case of the flu.
“I got aches and pains, serious congestion, a cough that hurt my diaphragm,” Soliz said. “I was miserable Saturday and Sunday. I just couldn’t breathe.”
He went to the doctor and got help, which is important because he has a compromised immune system.
“I got COVID in February of 2024, and I was out for a whole year in COVID rehab,” Soliz said. “Those of us with long COVID have a compromised immune system, so you will pick up stuff that other people might shake off in 24 hours.”
It’s why he’s taking the flu seriously. He said he already sees it going around school with lots of kids out sick.
University Health Epidemiologist Dr. Jason Bowling said that attitude is necessary, especially this year.
“There are a few signs that worry us about this upcoming flu season is going to be rough,” Bowling said. “One, we’re already seeing some outbreaks in other countries. Then the strain that’s causing it is an H3N2 strain that can sometimes cause bumpy or rough flu seasons.”
On top of that, he has seen fewer people get the flu vaccine than last year, which was a scary flu season.
“We had a high number of adult hospitalizations, and then we saw a high of deaths in children from flu last year, 280 deaths, which is the highest number since they started recording it in 2004,” Bowling said.
While the vaccine doesn’t stop people from getting the flu 100% of the time, it ensures fewer people will end up getting severely sick.
“Right now, it actually looks like it’s 75% protective for reducing the risk that kids have to go to the ER or the hospital,” Bowling said.
Bowling said there’s still time to get a shot before people gather for Thanksgiving.
“It takes a couple of weeks, but you start seeing some of that protection right after you get it,” he said.
It’s a similar plea Soliz is making.
“The flu shot, take it as soon as possible,” he said. “Let the antibodies start working inside your body, because otherwise, it catches you at a weak moment.”
University Health has a number of pharmacies that allow people to walk in for flu shots. For the list of pharmacies, click here.
Bowling said if someone starts feeling really sick, they should opt for the flu test at the doctor instead of an over-the-counter test at a pharmacy.
While over-the-counter tests can get it right, Bowling said sometimes they’re not sensitive enough and give false negatives.
He said the ones at urgent care centers and some clinics are molecular tests with higher sensitivity and more accuracy.
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