Flu hits Austin

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HEALTH CARE Flu and its misery creep into Austin Number of cases went up in recent days, some doctors say. By Ann RoserAMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFFTuesday, January 08, 2008 Just as students are returning to school, some Austin-area clinics are starting to

see the first clusters of an illness that thrives when people cluster: flu. "It's here," said Dr. Elliot Trester, a family practice physician who has started seeing an uptick in flu cases during the past few days at Central Family Practice. Larry KolvoordAMERICAN-STATESMAN (enlarge photo) Dr. Leah Treadwell examined Andy Morin, 24, on Monday at Austin Regional Clinic's location on Far West Boulevard. Morin said he came to the clinic because of a sore throat and body aches, both flu

symptoms. Austin doctors expect flu cases to increase as more children return to school. Doctors at Austin Regional Clinic have diagnosed about a fourth of the patients they have seen since Friday with flu, said Dr. Leah Treadwell, a family practice physician who is director of after-hours care for the clinic. "It hit us Friday and Saturday" and kept coming after "a trickling of cases early last week," Treadwell said. Before that, the flu season, which officially starts in October in Texas, had been relatively quiet, not just in Central Texas, but statewide, said Palmer, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services. Doctors are not required to report flu to state health authorities, but certain doctors, clinics and other medical professionals help state and federal

officials monitor flu activity by reporting confirmed and likely cases to the state health department. The state, in turn, issues weekly reports on flu activity. The last one, dated Dec. 29, listed flu activity in Texas as "regional," meaning that flu was found in at least two, but fewer than half of the state's 11 regions. That's the same position the state was in during the last week of 2006, and the flu stayed regional until Jan. 27, 2007, when it became more widespread, Palmer said. "It was a relatively mild season last year," she said. Treadwell said that Austin Regional Clinic tested nose swabs from patients to diagnose flu but that doctors can often tell just by looking. "If they're crawling in wearing their pajamas, it's mostly the flu," she said. Not all clinics have seen an influx of flu cases in recent days, however. "We're not seeing much flu," said Sandy Carnelly, a spokeswoman for

Austin Diagnostic Clinic. She was in touch with doctors in Austin and Round Rock who had seen just a few cases and some who hadn't seen any, she said. Trester said some of his patients have been using Tamiflu, a nasal spray that can prevent or lessen the effects of flu. He promotes the use of Vitamin C and zinc, calling himself a "medical minimalist" when it comes to drugs. He recommends Tamiflu and shots mainly for the elderly and for people who are at the greatest of risk of suffering complications from flu, including people with respiratory illnesses, such as asthma. But Palmer and Carole Barasch, a spokeswoman for the Austin/ County Health and Human Services Department, are urging flu shots for people who haven't gotten them. Some local health departments, including Austin/ County, still have some shots available, generally for low-income people. Supplies are down in many places, but grocery stores and

pharmacies are offering shots. And some doctor offices may have them. For flu shot information, people can call 211 or go to the American Lung Association Web site at www.findaflushot.com/lungusa and enter their ZIP code. It takes two weeks for the shots to become effective, but flu season doesn't peak in Texas until January or February, Palmer said. In addition to flu, a lot of colds are on the rise, as is cedar fever, which is distinguished by itchy eyes and noses. On Sunday, cedar levels reached a count of 3,268 grains per cubic meter, which is considered high. Many cedar fever sufferers have been sniffling since December. Flu is characterized by a sudden onset of fever and body aches that are accompanied by sneezing, sore throat and coughing. Colds have similar symptoms, but the fevers aren't as high or abrupt. Frequent hand-washing is recommended, and health officials suggest coughing and sneezing into

shirt- or coat-sleeves. "Once the students get back, we'll probably see an upswing in the number of (flu) cases," Palmer said. maroser@...; 445-3619 http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/01/08/0108fluseason.html A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think youcontrol it. - Steinbeck

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