For the first time all year, all three major respiratory viruses are low in our area.
According to the latest disease surveillance from the City of Houston, COVID and RSV have really decreased, and flu is also going down.
Dr. Michelle Udayamurthy with Kelsey-Seybold said they are still seeing the occasional flu case but after months of viral infections high and stable, they may be tapering off for the season.
However, now health providers across the area said tree pollen is causing bad allergy symptoms. Patients are desperate for relief from those symptoms.
“Some of the common things that you could try could be doing like nasal saline rinses. That’s pretty safe. I always tell people to do them in the shower because that’s less messy and then it’s also great because the steam opens up your sinuses as well,” Dr. Udayamurthy said. “Then another thing you could try would be over the counter medications like Zyrtec, Claritin, any of those medications, as long as it’s okay with your doctor.”
If you have tried some of the over-the-counter measures, like saline rinses, and that’s not working, and it’s been more than seven to 10 days, you may want to see your doctor. If you have a fever or worsening symptoms then you definitely need to see the doctor.
