Flu season hitting Tampa Bay area hard, doctors say: 'It's exploding'

Flu cases are soaring in Tampa Bay area emergency rooms.

Why you should care:

HCA Florida Brandon, Hillsborough County's busiest ER, reports an influx of patients seeking treatment.

"It's exploding," Dr. Sergio Martinez, ER Medical Director, said. "No one has COVID. No one has Flu B. It's all Flu A."

Dr. Martinez said during a typical shift he sees one or two flu patients. On Saturday, flu cases comprised 1/3 of the hospital's ER visits.

"Even in the last 48 hours or so, 72 hours, I'm seeing a lot more proportionally than I normally do," he said.

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Dr. Martinez also examined emergency room data from the Hillsborough County DOH.

"Right now, looking at ER data, about 5-6% of all comers are ending up testing positive for flu, which is a lot. We see people with heart attacks, strokes, and all kinds of things, so one out of every 20 of them have the flu, that's a lot," Dr. Martinez explained.

Dr. Martinez said most patients diagnosed just with Flu A are not being admitted.

"I'm seeing people who are sick from other things who coincidentally also have the flu," he said.

Symptoms include high fever, body aches, vomiting and diarrhea. Physicians said it's impacting people of all ages. The rise in cases is due to the current flu season, but the recent cold snap could also be the culprit.

What you can do:

Physicians said it's time to visit the ER when you have trouble breathing.

"The big complication with the flu is pneumonia from what we call a superimposed bacterial infection," he said.

Dr. Michael Haynes, HCA Florida Brandon's Pediatric ER Director, said GI symptoms in children may require an ER visit.

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"I think the biggest reason to come to the ER would be excessive diarrhea where you're unable to keep the child hydrated," he said.

Both physicians said handwashing is key.

"Unfortunately, the flu vaccine is based on the previous year's flu," Dr. Haynes said. "It will prevent severity of symptoms. But it does not prevent you from catching the flu."

For more information from the CDC, click here.

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