Texas health authorities are on alert due to the recent cases of H1N1 influenza registered in different areas of the state, which has caused at least 35 deaths.
The cases of influenza due to the cold weather between 2013-2014 has been more intense in the south and southeast of the US; however, Texas has had more fatal cases reported in recent days, most of them due to H1N1.
According to a report from the NBC, health officials of the counties of Dallas and Denton have confirmed 19 deaths.
Last Monday, Jan. 6, the Denton Department of Health confirmed the deaths of two patients younger than 50 as a consequence of this disease. An adult and a girl in Carrollton were interned due to flu-like symptoms and other underlying medical problems.
Owing to these recent deaths, the Department of Health is immunizing large amounts of people against H1N1 and is recommending that parents leave their children at home to avoid contagion.
A report published by Univisión says that the Department of Health in Harris County has confirmed 13 deaths, while Hidalgo County has confirmed 6 since the influenza season began in October.
The authorities' main worry is that this could become an H1N1 outbreak, owing to the aggressiveness of the disease in Texas.
"The difference is that we're taking steps against H1N1, and that's the worry, since this virus, as we learned in 2009, is very deadly," said the director of health in Dallas County, Zach Thompson, quoted by KHOU.com.
The 2013-2014 influenza season in the US has seen H1N1 as the predominant strain, which caused an international pandemic in 2009-2010 when it killed around 284,000 people around the world.
In the US, the vaccine against the common flu a sample of H1N1 and it's recommended that everyone goes to their health clinic to get vaccinated.
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