Outdoor air
Air is okay for most kids
Moderate. Children who are sensitive to air quality may benefit from lighter outdoor play.
AQI 75 · primary pollutant: PM2.5
EPA AirNow · Dallas-Fort Worth · Oct 23, 2026
For North Texas families
Local Health Watch
A clearer view of this week's public-health signals.
Current respiratory and gastrointestinal virus activity from the best available public-health surveillance relevant to North Texas. Geographic coverage varies by virus.
Data checked Friday, Oct 23, 11:55 AM CT; source reporting schedules vary.
Pollen
High pollen day
Ragweed, Elm are elevated. Follow your child's existing allergy or asthma plan and rinse off after outdoor play.
Trees Moderate · Grass Low · Weeds High
Google Pollen API · Modeled forecast near McKinney · Oct 23, 2026
Regional respiratory pressure
Regional respiratory pressure is rising
Weekly respiratory hospital admissions are increasing across Texas DSHS Region 2/3. This is a community-level signal, not an estimate of your child’s risk.
Combined weekly admissions: 2.9 per 100,000
Texas DSHS respiratory hospitalization surveillance · Texas DSHS Public Health Region 2/3 · Oct 17, 2026
Texas childhood disease watch
No unusual statewide increase detected
Texas continues to report cases of measles, pertussis, chickenpox, and other vaccine-preventable illnesses. The selected reports are not currently above last year’s pace.
- Measles: 178 cases reported YTD
- Pertussis (whooping cough): 1,212 cases reported YTD
- Varicella (chickenpox): 301 cases reported YTD
CDC NNDSS · provisional Texas year-to-date reports. Counts may change and do not indicate exposure in your community.
Vaccination is the recommended protection against these diseases. Questions about benefits, side effects, safety, or timing are reasonable; your child’s current healthcare provider can help you make an informed decision.
What's going around
Community virus watch
Current respiratory and gastrointestinal virus activity from the best available public-health surveillance relevant to North Texas. Geographic coverage varies by virus.
Respiratory viruses
-
RSV
2.1% positive · rising
RSV laboratory test positivity is increasing in Texas.
CDC NREVSS · Texas · Oct 10, 2026
Metric: Centered three-week average percent of NAAT laboratory tests positive
Recent weekly values
Sep 5, 2026: 0.7% Sep 12, 2026: 0.9% Sep 19, 2026: 1.2% Sep 26, 2026: 1.5% Oct 3, 2026: 1.9% Oct 10, 2026: 2.1% -
Influenza
5.7% positive · rising
Influenza laboratory test positivity is increasing in the United States.
CDC national respiratory laboratory surveillance · United States · Oct 17, 2026
Metric: Percent of clinical laboratory influenza tests positive
Recent weekly values
Sep 12, 2026: 1.7% Sep 19, 2026: 2.5% Sep 26, 2026: 3.1% Oct 3, 2026: 3.9% Oct 10, 2026: 4.6% Oct 17, 2026: 5.7% -
COVID-19
4.2% positive · easing
COVID-19 laboratory test positivity is easing in Texas.
CDC NREVSS · Texas · Oct 10, 2026
Metric: Centered three-week average percent of NAAT laboratory tests positive
Recent weekly values
Sep 5, 2026: 13.1% Sep 12, 2026: 11.0% Sep 19, 2026: 9.2% Sep 26, 2026: 6.9% Oct 3, 2026: 4.9% Oct 10, 2026: 4.2% -
Rhinovirus / Enterovirus
38.1% positive · stable
Rhinovirus / Enterovirus laboratory test positivity is stable in HHS Region 6 (AR, LA, NM, OK, TX).
CDC NREVSS · HHS Region 6 (AR, LA, NM, OK, TX) · Oct 10, 2026
Metric: Weekly percent of NAAT laboratory tests positive
Recent weekly values
Sep 5, 2026: 45.8% Sep 12, 2026: 41.9% Sep 19, 2026: 38.3% Sep 26, 2026: 35.0% Oct 3, 2026: 35.5% Oct 10, 2026: 38.1% -
Human Metapneumovirus (hMPV)
0.9% positive · rising
Human Metapneumovirus (hMPV) laboratory test positivity is increasing in HHS Region 6 (AR, LA, NM, OK, TX).
CDC NREVSS · HHS Region 6 (AR, LA, NM, OK, TX) · Oct 10, 2026
Metric: Weekly percent of NAAT laboratory tests positive
Recent weekly values
Sep 5, 2026: 0.6% Sep 12, 2026: 0.7% Sep 19, 2026: 0.6% Sep 26, 2026: 0.6% Oct 3, 2026: 1.0% Oct 10, 2026: 0.9% -
Parainfluenza
1.6% positive · rising
Parainfluenza laboratory test positivity is increasing in HHS Region 6 (AR, LA, NM, OK, TX).
CDC NREVSS · HHS Region 6 (AR, LA, NM, OK, TX) · Oct 10, 2026
Metric: Weekly percent of NAAT laboratory tests positive
Recent weekly values
Sep 5, 2026: 0.8% Sep 12, 2026: 1.2% Sep 19, 2026: 0.7% Sep 26, 2026: 1.2% Oct 3, 2026: 1.4% Oct 10, 2026: 1.6% -
Adenovirus
10.0% positive · rising
Adenovirus laboratory test positivity is increasing in HHS Region 6 (AR, LA, NM, OK, TX).
CDC NREVSS · HHS Region 6 (AR, LA, NM, OK, TX) · Oct 10, 2026
Metric: Weekly percent of NAAT laboratory tests positive
Recent weekly values
Sep 5, 2026: 5.0% Sep 12, 2026: 7.0% Sep 19, 2026: 8.5% Sep 26, 2026: 9.0% Oct 3, 2026: 7.8% Oct 10, 2026: 10.0%
Stomach bugs
-
Norovirus
4.9% positive (centered 3-week average) · stable
The latest controlled Norovirus import is more than three weeks old. The retained regional trend may not reflect current activity.
CDC NREVSS (controlled weekly import) · Southern U.S. Census Region · Aug 29, 2026 · showing last-known-good value
Metric: Centered three-week moving average percent of PCR tests positive
Recent weekly values
Jul 25, 2026: 6.2% centered 3-week average · 1,178 tests reported for that week Aug 1, 2026: 6.5% centered 3-week average · 1,238 tests reported for that week Aug 8, 2026: 5.0% centered 3-week average · 1,220 tests reported for that week Aug 15, 2026: 5.3% centered 3-week average · 1,065 tests reported for that week Aug 22, 2026: 5.4% centered 3-week average · 809 tests reported for that week Aug 29, 2026: 4.9% centered 3-week average · 854 tests reported for that week -
Rotavirus
3.2% positive (centered 3-week average) · rising
The latest controlled Rotavirus import is more than three weeks old. The retained regional trend may not reflect current activity.
CDC NREVSS (controlled weekly import) · Southern U.S. Census Region · Aug 29, 2026 · showing last-known-good value
Metric: Centered three-week moving average percent of PCR tests positive
Recent weekly values
Jul 25, 2026: 1.0% centered 3-week average · 1,123 tests reported for that week Aug 1, 2026: 1.5% centered 3-week average · 1,174 tests reported for that week Aug 8, 2026: 2.0% centered 3-week average · 1,156 tests reported for that week Aug 15, 2026: 1.5% centered 3-week average · 951 tests reported for that week Aug 22, 2026: 1.3% centered 3-week average · 752 tests reported for that week Aug 29, 2026: 3.2% centered 3-week average · 791 tests reported for that week
Sources include CDC NREVSS, CDC national respiratory laboratory surveillance, and Texas public-health surveillance. Data checked daily; source reporting schedules vary. Some cards are showing their last-known-good values.
Percentages represent laboratory tests, not the percentage of children who are ill. Community surveillance is informational and does not predict an individual child’s illness.
Have a question about today?
Wheezing, fever, persistent cough, vaccine catch-up, or just unsure? Use this information to prepare questions for your child's current healthcare provider.
This is general guidance for our community, not medical advice for your child. We use public data from EPA AirNow, Google Pollen, CDC, and Texas DSHS. Geography and reporting dates are shown with each signal. For concerns specific to your child, contact their current healthcare provider.