The flu is tightening its grip on North Texas kids, with Children's Health reporting a 40% hike in cases last week alone. There were over 407 patients system-wide who walked through hospital doors with flu-like symptoms during the week of January 14, that's way up from the numbers just a week prior. While flu numbers have alarmingly risen, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19 infections have thankfully dived over January, as per FOX 4 News.

The dip in flu vaccinations might partly explain the chilling uptick—earlier reports from Children's Health pinned vaccination rates down about 5 percent compared to past years. And it isn't just a local scare. The CDC is also waving the red flag, confirming that Texas is admittedly wrestling with an elevated wave of flu cases statewide.

But state data alone doesn't tell the full tale of the flu's fallout, the CDC's snapshot, featured on an interactive map, provides added context. This map paints a picture of influenza-like illness (ILI) activity levels based on outpatient visits, yet it doesn't capture the full scale of the bug's blitz—the methodology has its holes since outbreaks in a single city could pump up a state's activity level, and the data may skew towards representing specific populations over others, as per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

What's more, some discrepancies are bound to crop up between how the CDC maps the situation and the richer tapestry state health departments weave as more complete data streams in, with state reports likely offering a closer look at how the flu is fanning out. Nevertheless, these maps and numbers play a crucial role, albeit with some fine print; they are preliminary, and expected to evolve as more intel rolls in and differences in data completeness emerge between sources.