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Following an uptick in cases of influenza, Illinois is now among the states listed as "high" for flu activity, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Flu activity was considered "high" statewide as of the week ending Nov. 5, according to the CDC's Weekly Influenza Surveillance Report. Indiana was listed at "medium," while Wisconsin was said to be "low" for flu activity.
Respiratory viruses such as the flu, RSV and COVID-19 are "spreading rapidly" across Illinois, according to Dr. Sameer Vohra, doctor of the Illinois Department of Public Health, who noted the U.S. is seeing its highest flu hospitalization rate in a decade.
To complicate matters, this year, some doctors say not as many people as they would like are getting flu shots.
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"This year we have even lower flu vaccine rates among children then back in 2020-2021, during that season, and that is really alarming," stated Dr. Arti Barnes, chief medical officer of IDPH.
About two weeks ago, Advocate Children’s Hospital in Park Ridge started seeing one to five flu cases every day, said Dr. Michael Cappello, vice chair of pediatrics at the hospital.
Overall, doctors assert vaccination is by far the best way to protect both yourself and your children.
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"Get the flu vaccine if eligible to do so, so anyone 6 months and older, because that's going to help quell that a little bit and we don't have to have those patients be in-patient; that’s going to be much better for everybody," Cappello said.
With many of the symptoms of the viruses overlapping, both Cappello and Barnes said it's important to reach out to your child's pediatrician or your health care provider right away.
"It could be RSV. Adults do get RSV, too. It could be COVID. It could be flu. So contact your provider and say hey, 'Do I need to get tested. Do I need treatment?'" Barnes said.
