Common viral infections declining in San Antonio
A patient receives an influenza vaccine in Mesquite, Texas. Amid all the focus on COVID-19 vaccinations, U.S. health experts have another plea: Don’t skip your flu shot.SAN ANTONIO — Common viral infections — such as the flu, rhinovirus and enterovirus — have declined significantly in San Antonio after peaking several months ago, according to three of the city’s largest hospital systems.
Those illnesses have been steadily receding throughout January, which Dr. Bryan Alsip, University Health’s chief medical officer, described as “relatively good news.” “Not only are they trending down — they’re much lower than what we saw in October, November and December,” Alsip said. The number of flu cases probably peaked around mid-November, which is unusual for San Antonio, he said. Typically, the flu reaches its highest point in January or February. Alsip’s observations are based predominantly on respiratory viral tests conducted on patients admitted to University Hospital. The early peak in flu cases — along with people getting their flu shots — may help avoid a surge in February, he said. But as the public learned with the COVID-19 virus, cycles can be hard to predict. “Anything’s possible,” Alsip said. “We had such a large surge early in the season. Hopefully, we stay on the decline.” Methodist Healthcare and Baptist Health System reported a similar drop in such cases over the past several months. “Our hospitals experienced a sharp increase in patients requiring treatment for respiratory illnesses such as RSV and the flu during the late fall and early winter,” said Dr. Paul Hancock, Methodist Healthcare’s chief medical officer. “We have fortunately seen a steady decline in the number of cases in January.”Baptist Health System saw a 70 percent decline in December in hospitalized patients testing positive for the flu, RSV and rhinovirus compared to numbers recorded in November, said spokeswoman Patti Tanner.San Antonio hospital systems are seeing declines in respiratory illnesses across the board, said Eric Epley, executive director and CEO of STRAC — the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council, designated by the state to develop and oversee the emergency health care systems for a 22-county area.
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