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Child flu cases on the rise in Houston

Doctors at Texas Children's Hospital say they are seeing an uptick in the positivity rate for flu.

Flu cases are on the rise in the Houston area, specifically in children. Doctors say they are already seeing the numbers they typically see in December.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Texas is one of the states seeing a surge in flu cases.

“I’ve had friends at my school get it many times this year," said Houstonian McKenzie Johnson.

RELATED: Flu cases rising sharply in Houston as doctors warn of 'triple threat' with RSV, COVID

“My work has been relentless, we have people who have been dropping like flies, I’m getting calls left and right to come in," said Diego Correa, another Houstonian.

It's been especially rough on kids, whose immune systems may not be as robust due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I work with young kids with music lessons, and the amount of kids sniffling, wearing their mask, definitely seen a big increase this fall," said Houstonian Alondra Roland.

Dr. Melanie Kitagawa at Texas Children's Hospital talked to KHOU 11 about why this season is expected to be more severe.

“I think what makes us concerned right now is really the uptick in the positivity rates and now we are going to have to see what that means for our kids and our community," she said.

Dr. Kitagawa said the best thing you can do is get your flu vaccine. They have more than 40 patients hospitalized with RSV and around 10 patients in the Intensive Care Unit. 

RELATED: Why are health officials concerned about a 'tripledemic?'

While they’ve seen more positive flu tests, they have no admissions for the flue right now. However, they are making moves to accommodate more patients.

“That means things like virtual visits and opening sick visits with the pediatricians," said Dr. Kitagawa.

They're all options that could be quicker than a trip to the ER if your symptoms are mild.

“It’s been a rough couple years, definitely not looking forward to the flu after going through all that the pandemic and everything," said Houstonian Jerome Johnson.

Doctors say because the symptoms of flu, covid and RSV are all similar, the best way to know what you have is still to test.

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