Winter respiratory illness activity expected to spike soon

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Respiratory illnesses across the state are on the rise. Cases of COVID-19, RSV, and the flu are increasing, and are expected to get even worse.

Additionally, the number of norovirus cases is also up, and whooping cough is also at a concerning level.

We have not yet reached last year's levels, so health experts expect these trends to worsen. For the most part, illness rates are where medical experts expect them to be, but they also expect them to get worse.

Dr. Joseph McBride, an assistant professor of adult and pediatric disease at the University of Wisconsin, told us, "I think what's concerning a little bit to us is the whooping cough rates, which have increased."

Caused by a bacteria, more than 2,300 cases of whooping cough have been reported so far this season, many of them in children.

But not all of the numbers are concerning yet. RSV activity in Wisconsin is currently low, though it's also increasing.

Medical professionals are currently seeing a 6% positivity rate for RSV, which is better than the 13% positivity at this time last year.

But doctors expect RSV to ramp up soon, which is why getting a newly available vaccine is key for vulnerable populations.

Dr. McBride said, "RSV can really hit the elderly hard. It can lead to hospitalizations with pneumonias."

Pregnant people and newborns are also susceptible. "The idea that you could vaccinate the pregnant individual would decrease the risk of RSV in the newborn," said McBride.

In recent years, a new long-acting RSV vaccine was developed that can be given once and provide protection for months.

Right now, about 21% of adults age 60 and over in Milwaukee and Racine counties have gotten the RSV vaccine, which is on par with the state's overall rate of 21.1%. But in Kenosha County, the vaccination rate falls to 16%.

About 20% of the state is flu positive, about the same as this time last year.

But doctors are also watching another bug that's similar to the flu: norovirus.

McBride said, "It's not really a flu virus, itself, but it is a really highly contagious germ that causes really bad nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea."

The state's latest laboratory surveillance report shows norovirus activity is high, at 19%. There is no norovirus vaccine.

Covid activity is moderate but also increasing. In the past two weeks, hospitalizations due to covid have increased 16% in Milwaukee County.

It's all adding up to a cocktail of potentially dangerous illnesses this winter.

Which is why medical experts are urging vaccination, good hygiene, being mindful of symptoms, and other precautions that could help stop the spread.

Dr. McBride said, "I think if I had an immune compromising condition, or patient with an immune compromising condition, I would really think about wearing a mask if you're going to be in a large group of people and whose symptoms you don't know."

McBride added it is not too late in the season to get the flu shot and other vaccines. He said they'll be fully effective in a few weeks, just in time for when they expect illnesses will be peaking.