MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin health officials are urging people to get vaccinated as respiratory virus season begins, with the state already seeing early signs of increased flu activity.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services says influenza activity remains low, but the percentage of tests coming back positive is slightly higher than it was at this point last year.
“We don’t know if this is going to mean we’re going to have an early peak or not,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Ryan Westergaard.
DHS is also raising concerns about declining vaccination rates. Only 33.8% of Wisconsin residents received a flu vaccine last season. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, that figure was closer to 50%.
“We’ve lost ground in previous years,” Westergaard said. “So we’re trying to educate, we’re trying to support our vaccinating partners.”
Westergaard said vaccination rates are lower than health officials would like to see across the entire state, not just in particular regions.
DHS is recommending Wisconsinites consider vaccines for flu, COVID-19 and RSV as appropriate. Westergaard said nearly 11,000 hospital admissions in Wisconsin last respiratory virus season were associated with the three illnesses.
Along with vaccination, health officials recommend staying home when sick, washing hands and taking other precautions to limit the spread of respiratory illnesses.
