reports <\/a>11 million illnesses, 120,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths so far this flu season.<\/p>\nDr. Joshua McGuire, a family and medicine physician with Texas Tech Physicians, says with this time of year typically comes with an elevated risk for flu illness.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnytime that lots of people get into a small location and gather, it\u2019s going to be a big opportunity for viruses to spread in general,\u201d McGuire said. \u201cThe holidays tend to be a time where we travel to different locations where flu is going on there and we are in close contact with family.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the end of December 2025, hospitalizations in a one-week span for flu reached a near 30-year high, and McGuire says we can expect those numbers to trend upward.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think the current flu that\u2019s going around has peaked yet, so we can expect to see those numbers continue to rise,\u201d McGuire said. \u201cThere\u2019s also other variants of the flu, so right now flu A is going around in the community, but other variants could become prevalent that we just haven\u2019t seen and don\u2019t have protection against yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
In order to prevent getting the flu, Dr. McGuire says making sure you keep up with good hand hygiene, avoiding tight spaces with tons of people and wearing a mask, if needed, will go a long way.<\/p>\n
If you do end up feeling ill, McGuire recommends getting tested immediately and avoid going to places where you can get other people sick. With flu season typically ending around march, McGuire adds that if you do your part, it can play a role in helping your fellow neighbor stay healthy during the winter months.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if you\u2019re not immunocompromised and you normally take viruses really well,\u201d McGuire said, \u201cit\u2019s important to keep people who are immunocompromised, and at a vulnerable place, to keep them healthy as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
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