CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — While some regions of Texas are getting to see the leaves change color and fall, this unfortunately is not the case for us in the Coastal Bend.
Although the delay in cooler weather is disappointing for many, there is a bright side to extended warmer temperatures: less respiratory illnesses in what is usually the beginning of flu season.
"It's been a little bit of a quiet time for the upper respiratory [illnesses]," pediatrician and CEO of Amistad Health Dr. Eric Baggerman said.
According to CCISD Director of Student Health Services Veronica Sisk, the warm conditions we've seen lately have helped certain illnesses stay a little more dormant than usual for this time of year.
"Sometimes the cold can kind of exacerbate those allergies or asthma," she said.
On Tuesday, afternoon high temperatures reached the low 80s and the morning low was in the high 60s.
Last year, afternoon high temperatures topped out in the low 60s and we started November off with a morning low in the upper 30s!
However, Sisk points out that when dealing with children, bacteria is always transferred regardless of the weather.
"Typically, in school, our kids really spread more viral illnesses," she said. "They're in contained classrooms, so you know we see a tendency more for spread of communicable disease."
Baggerman said there's even been a drop in patients coming in for viral infections compared to other illnesses.
"From the GI tract, a lot of it is transmitted in some of the similar ways but we're just seeing more of that than we are for the viral infections," he said.
While some of you may hope that a strong cold front cools things down, doctors anticipate that will be the time when they see an influx of patients.
"Sicknesses, while it's always there, we haven't gotten this winter flux yet," Baggerman said. "We haven't got this big rush of people coming in with illnesses. We haven't hit that yet."