The current season, which began Sept. 28, 2025, and runs through May 23, 2026, continues to see a steady increase in cases across Cook Children’s Health Care System, primarily within primary care and urgent care offices. 

During the first week of February, the positivity rate for the flu hovered at approximately 30% in urgent care clinics, according to Kara Starnes, D.O. medical director of Urgent Care at Cook Children’s. 

Pediatricians encourage caregivers and families to take preventive steps, noting that a previous infection does not mean immunity for the season. 

“Even if you have already tested positive for the flu this season, it is worth getting your flu shot to protect against other strains,” said Phillip Scott, M.D., pediatric hospitalist, medical director for the Nelson Ku High Risk Asthma Clinic. 

While Cook Children’s Medical Centers in Prosper and Fort Worth have not seen a significant spike in hospitalizations, the system reports an increase in visits for the common cold. 

Don’t Let the Flu Stall Your Spring Break 

With Spring Break just a few weeks away, medical experts share tips to ensure families spend their vacation making memories instead of making visits to urgent care.  

“If you are traveling and will be in large crowds such as at the airport or at a large event, it is worth getting your flu shot for protection against the flu,” said Dr. Scott. 

Beyond prevention, the flu vaccine can significantly reduce the severity of symptoms if an individual does become sick, lowering the risk of hospitalization. 

Pediatricians also recommend the following: 

• Wash your hands
• Get a flu vaccine for you and your child
• Avoid touching your nose, mouth and eyes
• Cover your nose and mouth when sneezing and coughing
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick
• Keep your children at home and away from public areas if they are not feeling well 

Signs and Symptoms  

 Flu, RSV and COVID-19 are caused by different viruses, but all are upper respiratory illnesses that share similar symptoms such as:  

• Fever
• Cough
• Fatigue
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle pain and body aches
• Headache
• Vomiting and diarrhea
• Loss of appetite, taste, or smell
• Shortness of breath  

 Managing Symptoms  

If your child is sick, call your pediatrician first who can help you decide whether the level of sickness escalates to the doctor's office, urgent care, or the emergency room. For many children, viral illnesses like the flu, RSV, and COVID-19 can be managed at home with supportive care. Over-the-counter medications like acetaminophen or ibuprofen can help reduce fever and discomfort. Avoid ibuprofen in infants younger than 6 months.  

Maintaining hydration is crucial. Please encourage your child to drink fluids and consider giving them electrolyte drinks or popsicles. Saline nasal drops and cool-mist humidifiers can help alleviate congestion.  

A fever is defined as a temperature of 100.4 or above. A temperature above 100.4 in babies less than 2 months old is a medical emergency and needs to be evaluated in the emergency room. Any fever lasting longer than four to five days, or one that continues to climb and does not break with fever reducers, should be evaluated by a physician.  

 When to Seek Medical Attention  

While most cases can be managed at home, it's essential to recognize the signs of respiratory distress or dehydration, which require immediate medical attention.  

 Signs of respiratory distress:  

• Increased number of breaths per minute
• Increased heart rate
• Bluish color around the mouth, on the lips, or on the fingernails
• Pale or grayish skin
• Grunting sound during exhale
• Nose flaring
• The chest appears to sink in with each breath
• Head bobbing when breathing in
• Change in alertness  

Signs of dehydration:  

• Urine output is significantly below the child’s normal (at least once every 8 hours)
• Not producing tears when crying and the eyes appear sunken
• In infants, the soft spot on top of their heads looks sunken
• Dried mucus membranes (lining within the nostrils, mouth, throat)
• Sleepy and unresponsive  

If your child exhibits any of these signs, seek immediate care at an urgent care facility or the emergency department. Reserving visits to urgent care or the emergency department for truly urgent needs helps ensure timely care for those who need it most, reduces waiting times for everyone, conserves resources, and limits your child’s exposure to other viruses.  

Related Stories: 

• Is it Flu? What Parents Need to Know This Flu Season
• Know When to Use Telemedicine, Urgent Care, or the ER for Kids
• Top 10 Questions Parents Ask About Vaccines 

What The Flu Is

The flu is a respiratory illness.

The flu happens every year. It hits hard from December through March (and other months, but those primarily). There are deaths every year. Kids, healthy people, old people, babies and folks with chronic illness die every year. This year we're trending lower at Cook Children's than in previous seasons. I really, really, really hope it stays that way.

Overall, remember that the flu is usually a "mild" illness (I mean, you feel like you've been hit by a truck, but we call that "mild" in medicine, ha).

It hits fast and fevers can go high, which is worrisome. But with a lot of rest, fluids, pain and fever reducers, things usually get better after 3-5 days. The cough and congestion can last for 2 weeks.

Sometimes, rarely, it can get bad. Really bad. The flu can cause: Pneumonia. Sinusitis. Ear infections. Brain inflammation (encephalitis). Heart inflammation (myocarditis). Asthma attacks in asthmatics. Death. That escalated quickly.

You hear us talk a lot about Flu A and Flu B. They are just two different strains of influenza. They are the two types that circulate the globe each year. In the states, Flu A usually arrives first and in general is considered the more severe strain. But overall, there is little difference in how they present clinically and we can’t really tell them apart without a flu test.

What The Flu Isn’t

The flu is not a stomach bug. There is no "stomach flu." That's called gastroenteritis. Your child is throwing up, but doesn't have a runny nose or cough? It's not the flu.

How Do You Prevent The Flu?

Scared to vaccinate? Hear stories? Hate shots? Have an uncle who loves to talk up a good conspiracy theory? Know this: some years, you can still get the flu even if you get the flu vaccine. It depends on how well we predict what strains of the flu will be circulating the globe that year. And some years, it's not a good match.

BUT it's usually milder, if you do get it. It GREATLY reduces your chance for hospitalization and death. I get it every year for my kids and my family. If you ask any pediatrician or ICU doc what viruses put fear into their hearts, I'll bet you influenza tops that list. I always tell my patients, even if it’s a "bad match" year, isn't a 30 percent effective seatbelt better than no seatbelt at all?

We can't know how good of a match the vaccine was until the flu season is over in April. So ignore the dramatic news reports.

Tamiflu can help make it less severe sometimes, for some people.

WASH YOUR HANDS! The flu can live on some surfaces up to 24 hours in cold weather! Think about all those door handles you touch! The cash you get handed back from the cashier! The snot that flies from every person's sneeze can cover a 6 foot radius around them! Wash. Those. Hands!

How Long Are You Contagious?

You are contagious with the flu 1-2 days BEFORE you start showing symptoms. How sneaky is that?

You are contagious 5-7 days after you start to show symptoms. Your KIDS can be contagious up to 10 DAYS after they start to show symptoms.

You should keep your kids out of school for at LEAST 24 hours after their last fever. This means fever without the use of meds to keep it down. If it's financially feasible for you, I'd even try to keep your kids out at least 7 days after the first symptoms start.

When Should You Worry?

Call us (or your pediatrician) anytime if you're worried about the flu. We can walk you through what is normal and what isn't.

These are the reasons to worry:

• Fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Bluish skin color
• Not drinking enough fluids
• Not waking up or not interacting
• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Flu-like symptoms that improve but then return with fever and worse cough

Stay Healthy Friends,

Dr. Diane

To Learn more about this topic:

• Infuenza/Flu Information
• Is It a Cold or the Flu?
• Pediatricians Say Kids with Egg Allergies Should Now Get The Flu Shot