North Dakota Epidemiologist Levi Schlosser visits with Flag Family News Reporter Chris Larson
BISMARCK, N.D. – Influenza cases in North Dakota have climbed significantly over the course of the past several weeks, signaling a surge in the season.
“Hospitalizations and deaths due to both influenza, COVID-19, and RSV have been occurring over the last couple weeks,” said Levi Schlosser, an epidemiologist with the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). “So we know flu season is absolutely ramping up and our activity has been increasing pretty steadily over the last couple weeks.”
The latest data from the HHS shows 871 new cases of influenza for the week ending December 20, along with 178 COVID-19 19 RSV cases.
Altru Hospital family medicine physician Dr. Eric Johnson tells Flag Family News that, last week alone, nearly 50 percent of the approximately 500 influenza tests conducted at their facilities were positive for influenza.
All while COVID-19 and RSV still circulates in the area.
“There is some COVID and RSV out there as well, but those infection rates remain lower,” Johnson said.
Statewide data shows a predominant number of Influenza A cases, with H3N2 being the current strain. Nationally, 89 percent of subtype viruses show it’s a variant of the subgrade K.
Nonetheless, the cases are ‘more severe when it circulates,’ and Schlosser said it’s circulating in North Dakota.
Johnson said vaccines appear to be ‘fairly effective’ at reducing the risk of hospitalization for influenza.
“We’re really pleased about that so far, but we are certainly seeing it,” he said.
Those testing positive for influenza are displaying ‘pretty typical symptoms,’ including muscle aches, runny nose, cough, fever and fatigue.
Altru Health System is mandating masks for those visiting patients in the NICU or ICU, along with the Altru Cancer Center.
“People may have influenza and not yet know that they have it,” Johnson said. “So that could be a problem, especially if they’re around somebody else who’s already sick or has some other medical problem that has them in the hospital.”
