PHOTO: Courtesy of WLUK
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — As we get ready to ring in the New Year, health leaders statewide are monitoring a concerning increase in respiratory illnesses.
Data from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services shows overall respiratory illness activity is high across the state and in the Northeastern region.
For the week ending Dec. 21, DHS says 20% of emergency department visits in the region had a diagnosis of a respiratory illness — such as COVID-19, the flu or RSV.
“Across the board, there are many other viruses out there that exist that we’re seeing come through our doors a lot around this time of year,” said Family Medicine Physician Dr. Austin Greenwood with Bellin Health.
One health system has already made the decision to temporarily bring back masking.
Aurora Health Care says beginning Jan. 6, visitors at all locations in the state will have to mask up “when in contact with patients or in congregate areas, including patient rooms and other areas designated by signage.”
While Bellin and Gundersen Health System hasn’t quite made that decision, they too are seeing the uptick in illnesses.
Dr. Greenwood points out that RSV, which tends to look like other infections, can more severely impact young children under the age of two.
“So that’s one case where if you’ve got a little one who seems a little more sick than the common cold, getting in to get tested can help us try and — in a perfect world — prevent a hospitalization. Or, get you to a higher level of care if things are looking more concerning,” said Greenwood.
During respiratory illness season, the Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) is asking people visiting any of their locations in Wisconsin and Illinois to not visit hospital patients if they have a cold or flu-like symptoms. They have a limit of only two people allowed to visit a patient at any one time.
Health experts encourage everyone to practice good hygiene this time of the year — and if you’re feeling sick, stay home.
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