TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay doctors are warning flu symptoms may not be severe before the worst hits.
This comes after a 12-year-old boy from West Palm Beach died from the flu, according to family members.
Physicians at South Tampa Immediate Care are seeing a spike in flu-related visits, about a quarter of their patient population.
"Almost run out of flu tests, a lot of it is being back ordered but luckily we still have a few that we can still do," said Dr. Jack Tseng.
When body aches and a cough set in, David English didn't want to take any chances.
"I thought, 'well it's probably no big deal' and then I talked to some people I had been around and one of them had the flu, so that's when I thought I need to go get checked," said English.
Medical experts tell ABC Action News, this year's flu strain is aggressive, causing serious complications by attacking the immune systems of people in great health.
Dr. Tseng says children are at risk when even moderate symptoms set in.
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"Kids, they may not necessarily have these signs of high fevers, but what you want to look out for is make sure they're not lethargic, or they're having vomiting symptoms," said Dr. Tseng.
Experts say even if it appears your child is suffering from the common cold, go in for a flu test. It's an inexpensive, potentially life-saving test that only takes about ten minutes.
"The flu is definitely something you don't want to mess around with," said Dr. Tseng.
