Texas flu deaths have doubled in 2 weeks

Vast majority of victims are elderly; activity widespread, with H3N2 the dominant strain

The state’s overall number of flu deaths has doubled, but the number of Texas children dying from the flu remains at four, according to new statistics.

The Texas department of health this season is reporting the deaths of 2,355 people for whom the flu was an underlying or contributing cause, up from 1,155 such deaths two weeks ago. The vast majority of such deaths occurred among the elderly, according to the department.

“It’s too early to know if this season will be deadlier than previous years, but the number of deaths so far in people older than 65 should serve as a reminder to get the flu shot,” said Lara Anton, spokeswoman for the state health department.

Texas and the nation are in the midst of one of the more intense flu seasons in recent years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting widespread activity in every state but Hawaii — Texas was among the first to receive the classification — and emergency departments, hospitals and doctor’s offices from Houston to New York to California say they are being overloaded with patients.

No Houston pediatric deaths

There have been 30 pediatric deaths nationally, according to the CDC. None has been in Houston.

The state tally of flu-related deaths includes 558 deaths in the 16-county region that includes Houston. There were 258 in the region two weeks ago.

The state does not provide death numbers for similar points in time in previous years because flu peaks at different times each season. Anton noted that “a flu season that peaked later in the season could be deadlier than one that peaked earlier, for instance, and if you made the comparison at this point in the season, an earlier peaking season would seem to be more severe.”

Flu is an underrated killer. Its death toll in the United States can range from 12,000 in a mild year to 56,000 in a bad year, according to the CDC. Though most deaths are among the elderly, flu also kills middle-aged adults with underlying problems, pregnant women, children under age 5 and children with asthma, as well as some apparently healthy people.

The spread of the flu in Texas this month claimed the lives of two state prisoners, ages 35 and 41.

Parallels to 2014-2015

Public health officials say the 2017-2018 flu season parallels the 2014-2015 season, the last intense season in Texas. Both years were classified as “moderately severe” by the CDC and were dominated by the H3N2 flu strain, a particularly nasty version. The strain emerged in Hong Kong in 1968, when it killed an estimated 1 million people around the world. It has circulated since, constantly undergoing minor mutations.

Although one CDC official said Friday that the disease is “probably peaking” about now, Anton said it is too early to know that in Texas, where patient flu visits were actually up last week. She said it’s not clear if a season has peaked until it has trended downward for several weeks.

The national flu season begins in October and ends in May. Houston’s starts a little later and typically is most active in January through March, officials said.

The new state numbers, based on death certificate data received last week, probably doesn’t include most January deaths, said Anton.

The department on Monday released a video of Dr. John Hellerstedt, the state health commissioner, commenting on the active season and emphasizing it’s not too late to get the flu shot. The shot is less effective than desired against H3N2, but those vaccinated are less likely to die or develop severe flu symptoms that require hospitalization, experts say.