Flu season: Another obstacle for schools and hospitals

A common goal

Like COVID-19, the flu is a contagious respiratory disease that can cause symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath and headache; strikes nursing homes; and is especially dangerous for older patients and those with other health issues.

COVID-era precautions appear to be helping contain the spread of the flu—at least for now. The World Health Organization reported Aug. 3 that globally influenza activity is lower than expected for this time of year. But Piedra still recommends that people get vaccinated. "A second respiratory virus in a person who has already been sick from one doesn't recuperate well," Piedra said. "The influenza vaccination provides security, a safety net."

Typically, around 50% of Americans get vaccinated against the flu each year, with higher rates of participation among children under five and older adults. Common barriers are affordability, not having a regular doctor and unfounded myths about vaccines, Piedra explained.

The goal, however, is universal immunization—in the range of 80% to 90%. "So we can do a much better job," he said.

Innovation at home

The upcoming flu season also raises questions about how to determine between the disease and COVID.

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin's Cockrell School of Engineering are working to develop a dual-sensor antibody test that can detect whether a patient is sick with the flu or the coronavirus based on a saliva sample. Professor Deji Akinwande and his team recently received a grant from the National Science Foundation for their work.

"This is something you might purchase in advance, have it at home and once you develop symptoms you quickly test, and it tells you within minutes," postdoctoral fellow Dmitry Kireev told Austonia.

Such a test could help people determine whether they even need to see a doctor and how careful they should be around others, ideally reducing the burden on the healthcare system and reducing disease transmission in the community.

The team has developed a prototype and is now working to determine the accuracy of such a test. If their experiments are successful, they will seek to produce the test at scale later this year.

"The winter comes, maybe not to Texas, but there's still a winter, and people get sick," Kireev said.

Want to read more stories like this one? Start every day with a quick look at what's happening in Austin. Sign up for Austonia.com's free daily morning email.