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(This is the first in a five-part series on respiratory illnesses of concern in Sheboygan County, their effects, incidence, and how to manage them)
The winter months always seem to come with colds and flu, and so it’s no surprise that this time of year has become known as the “Flu Season”. But the flu, or Influenza, isn’t the only illness that’s especially good at spreading through the population now, as explained by Starrlene Grossman, the Health Officer and Deputy Director of the Sheboygan County Department of Health and Human Services.
“The flu season is a time in the fall and winter when respiratory illness activity is at its highest. This tends to happen because we’re spending more time inside around other people. We’re doing more things indoors than we normally do in the warmer months of the year when we’re outside, so flu season typically begins in early fall, trails off in the spring.”
One could almost say that there are two flu seasons.
“For flu season we typically see two waves of flu, so infections caused by Influenza A virus usually circulate in the fall and early winter, and then infections caused by Influenza B usually start circulating in late winter and early spring, so what is typical of previous flu seasons is kind of what we’re seeing this year as well.”
Besides influenza, this season also sees an increase in COVID-19 – and yes, that’s still a thing, as well as the lesser-known RSV, or Respiratory Syncytial Virus, which most people tolerate well, but can be deadly in certain populations.
Treating those most vulnerable can strain hospital resources, especially when there’s more than one such illness to deal with as is the case with hospitals in Wisconsin’s Northeast Region.
“Influenza, COVID and RSV and the common cold are the respiratory viruses that are spreading most in the community right now. At this time, overall illness in the Northeast Region where Sheboygan is located is considered to be very high. When you look at all that respiratory illness together, we’re looking at very high respiratory illness activity in Sheboygan County.” according to Grossman.
The hope is, of course, that nobody gets so sick that they need hospitalization, and so it’s important that people to their part to avoid becoming a patient, and that’s by going through the same steps we all learned during the pandemic: stay home if you feel sick, get vaccinated, consider masking when appropriate, and practice good hand hygiene.
Tomorrow our 5-part series continues with the focus on influenza itself.
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