Flu activity in Massachusetts: How to stay updated week to week
Flu activity is "very high" in all of Massachusetts right now and may still be rising, according to the state health department.
The state is in the midst of peak flu season, and thousands of Bay Staters have become ill, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health said in a press release last week . While COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) rates remain low, cases of both illnesses are beginning to rise.
During the last week of December, approximately a quarter of emergency room visits were for respiratory illnesses, the state health department said. Hospitals in some regions of the state reported "challenging capacity levels" that were largely flu-related.
"This is a moment for clarity, urgency and action," Dr. Robbie Goldstein, Massachusetts' public health commissioner, said in the release. "These viruses are serious, dangerous, and life-threatening."
The latest flu tracking data for Massachusetts can be found on the state health department's dashboard . Statewide tracking data for other respiratory illness can be found here .
Flu activity in Massachusetts so far
As of Jan. 3, 66 Massachusetts residents had died from the flu this season, according to the state health department . Four of the people who died were children, and two of those children were Boston residents younger than two years of age .
The child flu deaths in Boston were the first to happen in the city since 2013 , according to Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Boston's public health commissioner. All four of the fatal pediatric cases happened in the final weeks of December, as Boston and other parts of Massachusetts experienced a surge of flu activity.
Data from local hospitals suggests the illness has been spreading more among children this year than in previous years, Ojikutu said. In the last two weeks of December, confirmed flu cases in Boston children younger than age five jumped by 142%, and emergency room visits for flu-like illnesses surged by 225% among the same age group.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health recommends vaccination for all residents ages six months and older. Bay Staters looking for vaccine clinics near them can find one on vaccinefinder.org .
There are three upcoming free flu and COVID-19 vaccine clinics scheduled to take place in Boston this month. No appointment, health insurance or identification is required to get vaccinated at these clinics. Details on upcoming vaccine clinics in Boston are posted on the city's website .
The state health department also recommends using prevention strategies to help stop the spread. Such practices include thorough handwashing, staying home when sick and wearing a face mask in crowded spaces.
More News
Read the original article on MassLive . Add MassLive as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
