SAN ANGELO, Texas —
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Texas has seen a five-percent increase of flu-related cases; and those numbers are actively reflecting in the Concho Valley, according to one local pediatrician.
“So, what we are seeing here in San Angelo reflects what the trend through-out the state which is the increase of the flu cases,” Dr. Hector Acton, San Angelo Community Medical Center, said.
It’s not only flu-related cases that are impacting Concho Valley residents, Acton said respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is also being seen in patients. However, that virus is not an easy fix, and parents with infants and small children should stay away from people that are sick.
“RSV is not treatable. There is nothing you can do for a baby that has RSV as far as medication,” he said.
Acton said another illness he's seeing in patients is strep throat. Strep, he said, can be is commonly misdiagnosed, for parents there are some symptoms to look out for.
“Typically, strep will give you swollen tonsils, big lymph nodes, fever, sometimes kids get upset stomachs, sometimes vomiting; but typically in the vast majority of cases if kids have a cough and a runny noise is not going to be strep,” he said.
Aside from washing your hands and staying away from people that are sick, the CDC recommends getting a flu shot as a preventative measure to protect from influenza.