Dusty conditions at Austin City Limits have some suffering from 'ACL flu'

AUSTIN, Texas - ACL Weekend 2 is still underway but as the fun from the festival winds down, many festival goers appear to be getting sick.

"It was hot and gross, but, you know, it was worth it. You're like screaming your lungs out and having a great time. So, during it, we had an absolutely fantastic time," said ACL attendee and Austin resident Bailey Sprague.

That's how Sprague describes her ACL experience this year but after all the fun is said and done "the next morning I just felt like I'd gotten hit by like, a ton of bricks," said Sprague.

Sprague got what it seemed many festival goers picked up at Zilker Park, what some doctors have dubbed the "ACL flu".

"My head kind of hurt, I have itchy eyes, like runny nose, sneezing, a lot, coughing. And so those like those all of those kinds of combined symptoms lasted like a couple days post ACL," said Sprague.

ER doctor Ryan McCorkle from St, David’s Medical Center is no stranger to "ACL flu". He’s worked at the festival for the last 10 years - treating both fans and artists.

"It's kind of a phenomenon that happens because it lies right in this time where the barometric pressure is changing. The temperatures you can see have dropped a lot just from weekend one to weekend two. And that really changes the milieu of the allergens that are in the air," said Dr. McCorkle.

Meaning there’s a lot of dust out there. You can see just how intense the conditions were in videos posted to TikTok.

Dr. McCorkle says it can cause a lot of respiratory symptoms. 

On top of that - the start of flu season coupled with so many people gathered in a small space, makes it easy for viruses to spread. 

"Cough congestion, sore throat, body aches, those kinds of things," said Dr. McCorkle.

Dr. McCorkle says they see an uptick in patients in the er during ACL.

To protect yourself - he recommends staying hydrated.. If you have an alcoholic drink, drink that equivalent of water.

"Kind of common-sense things that we sometimes forget. And that's just what we talked about, about staying hydrated. Whatever you indulge in, do it in moderation. Maybe think about protecting yourself from the dust and allergens, either with a mask or if you take a daily allergy medication," said Dr. McCorkle.

Dr. McCorkle says following those steps will assure a fun and safe festival experience for everyone.

As for Sprague, she says despite the sickness, the "ACL flu" won't keep her from seeing her favorite artists next year. 

"When certain artists come, you just can't miss the opportunity to go see them. And I think for me at least, Chappell Roan was like one of those artists that I was like, yeah, I would risk it to go get sick," said Sprague.