Bell County, Texas Children’s Hospitals Nearing Full Capacity Due To Flu Season
The Flu Season is in full swing in Central Texas, and it won't be stopping for the foreseeable future. The disease affects anyone and anything. We've even discussed the disease affecting our furry friends, which you can read about here.
Some cases of the flu require hospitalization due to the there severity. For little ones in Central Texas, they might have issues in recovering from the disease. Doctors in Bell County have begun to notice a trend in growth in cases.
Reports From Children's Hospitals in Bell County
KXXV reports that Mclane Children's has been close to full capacity. For several weeks, at the time of reporting, young children are nearly half of the patients in the hospital with cases of RSV the main cause of the hospital stay.
The Chief Medical Officer at Mclane Children's Hospital, Dr. Dominic Lucia, states the reason for the uptick in cases is simple in a comment to KXXV:
“Since really, the summer of 2021, seasonality is really a thing of the past for a lot of these viruses. They've been pretty strong at baseline in general, RSV in particular, and then they have these massive waves.”
How The Hospital Is Handling Uptick In Cases
Thankfully, Mclane's has stated they have the staff needed to handle the cases that continue to grow. However, just because the facility has the resources, it doesn't mean that individuals in Central Texas should take it for granted.
Area doctors have suggested that young ones get their flu shot. They also encourage going to the doctor if their children is experiencing the following symptoms:
- consistent and high fever
- severe cough
- trouble breathing