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Area focuses on staying healthy: TRMC-Sunnyvale, Dallas County help residents battle the flu
By Zach Markovic, zmarkovic@starlocalnews.com
In these hectic times, especially as the Dallas-Fort Worth area endures more and more flu cases, emergency rooms are busy places. Texas Regional Medical Center at Sunnyvale officials said they wanted to let residents know ways to make those trips to emergency rooms a little easier.
Pre-dawn visits to the ER, those between 4 and 6 a.m., may not sound appealing to sick patients. However, often, that's when patient traffic in an emergency room is the lightest, and those with mild medical ailments can be seen sooner.
"Although we are always ready and available to provide emergency care, there are times that are busier than others," said Dr. Reece Brockman, medical director of TRMC-Sunnyvale's emergency department and a member of Innovative Emergency Physicians of Sunnyvale. "Evenings are the busiest times, and weekends and Mondays are typically the busiest days for emergency departments."
"Keep the list in your wallet and put another copy in a safe, easily accessible place in your home," Brockman said.
Be prepared to give ER nurses and physicians the name and phone number of your family's primary care physician. If you don't have one, find one before a medical emergency occurs; routine visits to primary care physicians are essential to maintaining good health.
ERs should never serve as substitutes for visits to primary care physicians. ER physicians rule out immediate, life-threatening ailments. Go to primary care physicians for more chronic conditions, sore throats or common colds.
Dallas County Commissioners Court was informed by Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) that insured families were experiencing difficulties in finding available flu vaccine for their children in Dallas County. Director Zachary Thompson said there was a sufficient supply of children's vaccine at their location at 2377 North Stemmons Freeway in Dallas, but that is only available for the uninsured due to federal regulations.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins has been in communications with Texas Commissioner of Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Dr. David Lakey in an effort to secure additional vaccine for use in Dallas County. DSHS has been working with DCHHS throughout the month to provide vaccine to Dallas County. Lakey informed Judge Jenkins that an additional 2,000 doses is being made available immediately to Dallas County for distribution to providers.
Each year, experts from Food and Drug Administration (FDA), World Health Organization (WHO), U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other institutions study virus samples collected from around the world. While the H1N1 virus used to make the 2012-2013 flu vaccine is the same virus that was included in the 2011-2012 vaccine, the recommended influenza H3N2 and B vaccine viruses are different from those in the 2011-2012 influenza vaccine for the Northern Hemisphere.
In the Northern hemisphere, winter is the time for flu, but the exact timing and duration of flu seasons vary. While flu outbreaks can happen as early as October, most of the time flu activity peaks in January or later. The "peak month of flu activity" is the month with the highest percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for influenza virus infection. During a 30- year period, flu activity most often peaked in February (47 percent of the time), followed by January and March (17 percent of the time), and December (13 percent of the time).
DSHS provides information on the flu, including a vaccine finder, at TexasFlu.org.
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