Flu activity reaches 'moderate' in Denton County, with 173 positive tests reported since mid-September

Flu season is under way in Denton County. The county health department rated influenza activity as moderate for the week ending Oct. 17 in its latest weekly surveillance report.

Hospitals and clinics that report to Denton County Public Health logged 41 positive flu tests that week, 36 of them influenza A and five influenza B, out of 544 tests. That put the positive rate at 7.54%, down from 9.12% the week before, when providers reported 56 positives.

The dip in lab results came as a separate measure moved the other way. The county's syndromic surveillance, which tracks emergency room visits for flu-like symptoms, rose compared with the previous week, the report says.

The season so far

Since the week ending Sept. 19, the county's reporting providers have recorded 173 positive flu tests. Weekly positives climbed from 3 that first week to 30, then 43, then 56 before the latest week's 41.

The report counts 26 flu hospitalizations reported by those providers this season, including five in the week ending Oct. 17. No flu-related deaths of adults or children have been reported in the county for the 2026-27 season.

Texas and the nation

Statewide, the intensity of flu-like illness was rated minimal for the same week, though the share of hospital lab specimens testing positive for flu rose to 9.43%, according to state data in the county report.

Nationally, the report notes that flu is increasing in many parts of the country but remains low overall, with influenza A(H1N1) the virus reported most often. Outpatient visits for flu-like illness were at 2.2% of visits, below the national baseline of 2.9%.

Sources

dentoncounty.gov

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