.jpg "As Flu Season Ramps Up, Physicians Play Vital Role in Protecting Patients")
State health data show influenza season accelerating this fall, with hospitalizations climbing among older adults and younger patients alike. Physicians who treat infectious diseases emphasize the ongoing importance of vaccines to curb those rates.
Updated Oct. 29, the Respiratory Illness Interactive Dashboard maintained by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) shows that Texas has recorded a continuous rise in new influenza hospitalizations among those 65 and older for five straight weeks. The numbers are ticking up in younger age groups, too.
The DSHS dashboard indicates overall trends in hospital occupancy and how COVID-19, the flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) contribute to hospital bed use. The state’s weekly respiratory virus surveillance report also shows spikes in positive flu tests being reported by Texas hospital laboratories. There were more than 800 reported in early October, approximately 600 the next week and more than 1,000 in the week ending Oct. 24.
As chair of the Texas Medical Association’s Committee on Infectious Diseases, Rama Thyagarajan, MD, encourages physicians to be direct with patients about the importance of getting flu vaccinations.
A physician’s recommendation remains one of the strongest predictors of whether a patient chooses to be vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Through TMA, our job is to educate health care [professionals], who hopefully will educate Texans,” the Austin infectious disease specialist said. “We believe in the science. We believe in the research.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Infectious Diseases Society of America developed the latest recommendations for flu, COVID-19, and RSV. All were guided by an independent review conducted by the American Medical Association and the Vaccine Integrity Project at the University of Minnesota.
Physicians can review consolidated recommendations in one document compiled by AMA.
Strengthening immunization protections is one of TMA’s top 10 legislative priorities for the session that begins in January.
TMA’s message to lawmakers is straightforward: Immunizations, supported by peer-reviewed, science-backed recommendations, have saved countless lives for decades. By preserving Texas’ strong laws ensuring access to routine vaccines, lawmakers can continue to protect children, adults, and the state from costly infectious disease outbreaks that undermine public health and affordable health care.
For more information on infectious diseases and immunization, visit TMA’s public health webpage.