Flu cases holding steady in North Idaho

Dr. Anthony Rehil-Crest of Heritage Health said the usual suspects for respiratory illnesses  — influenza, COVID and RSV  — are making their way through North Idaho. 

“In the clinic setting, we’ve seen a lot of patients with influenza these past several months and RSV. The trends that I see especially with inluenza, is that it’s not going down. It’s plateauing,” Rehil-Crest said. 

The general pattern in recent years has been that flu hybrids continue through April and then numbers start falling in May. 

“For the entire season, the cases of influenza was a little over 5,000 and Panhandle Health District reported eight deaths this flu season for North Idaho,” Rehil-Crest said. “I can see data for the last two years and it’s pretty on track at least with flu."

He said RSV numbers haven’t hit their peak.

“It’s been going up since the beginning of the year and it’s still on an upward trajectory,” Rehil-Crest said. 

With a warm early spring, the odds of staving off illness are still better with help from vaccinations. 

“A lot of people get to this point in the year and think it’s too late to get the flu shot, it’s not too late. Flu is still very active in the community,” Rehil-Crest said. “If you haven’t gotten your flu shot, it’s a good idea.” 

An RSV vaccine for adults and children is also recommended for public health.

“We're encouraging a lot of our older adults to get vaccinated for RSV because it affects children and it can really be dangerous for older adults especially if they have chronic respiratory problems,” Rehil-Crest said.