April Communicable

Disease Updates

RSV

RSV levels are high but decreasing in western Wisconsin, according to state respiratory data.

Right now RSV is showing up more in:

• Emergency departments
• Wastewater
• Hospitalizations, especially of children 4 and younger.

Why you should care: RSV is a common virus that often causes mild illness, but it can make babies, young kids, and older adults very sick and can lead to health complications.

Symptoms include a runny nose, cough, sore throat, and/or fever. There is no specific treatment for RSV. Most people get better on their own. If you're sick, stay home, rest, and drink plenty of fluids.

What you can do: There is a safe, effective single-dose RSV vaccine for older adults. It's recommended for:

• Everyone 75 and older
• Adults age 50–74 who have risk factors for severe RSV illness

There are also options to boost RSV protection for babies and children. Parents can ask their doctors about:

• A maternal RSV vaccination during pregnancy, or
• A monoclonal antibody (nirsevimab or clesrovimab)

Flu

Flu levels are low and decreasing in western Wisconsin, according to state respiratory data.

We're seeing Influenza B at higher levels in Eau Claire's wastewater right now.

What you can do: Flu A and Flu B are both common in the colder months, and the flu shot boosts your protection from getting seriously sick from both.

Flu A usually has harsher symptoms, while Flu B is typically milder. Symptoms are the same for both strains (fever, body aches, cough, fatigue, and headache), and so are treatments. Rest, drinking plenty of fluids, and taking antivirals like Tamiflu can help you get better faster.

COVID-19

In western Wisconsin, COVID-19 activity is very low and decreasing, according to state respiratory data.

COVID levels in Eau Claire's wastewater are currently very low.

What you can do:

• Take advantage of COVID vaccines
• Wash your hands often
• Stay away from people who are sick, whenever possible.

If you do get sick, stay home. Small actions like these can help protect not only you, but your family, friends, coworkers, and community.

In a worrying trend, childhood vaccination rates continue to decline in Wisconsin

Wisconsin's childhood vaccine rates have continued to decrease since last year, according to a yearly data release from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) for children, adolescents, and adults for 2025.

Although nearly 7 out of 10 Wisconsin kids had the recommended vaccinations at two years old, nearly 3 of every 10 did not.

It's a decline of almost 2% from 2024.

We're also seeing concerning numbers in our county. In 2025, four out of ten kids in Eau Claire County were not up to date on recommended vaccines by two years old.

“We’re very concerned about these declines in vaccination rates," says Lieske Giese, director of the Eau Claire City-County Health Department. "Vaccines save lives, and they’re one of the biggest public health successes in history. When a child receives their recommended vaccines on time, they’re getting a big boost in protection from serious diseases like measles, polio, and many others. Take advantage of childhood vaccines – they’re a powerful defense for kids, communities, health care systems, and all of us.”

Even small declines in vaccination rates increase our risk of preventable diseases and outbreaks, said Paula Tran, state health officer and Division of Public Health administrator, in a press release.

"In public health, we use data like this as an alert system. Today that alert system is sending a clear signal that the health and well-being of Wisconsin kids and communities are at risk," Tran said.

There are also very small decreases in adolescent vaccines, like the human papillomavirus (HPV) and tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (Tdap) vaccines in the 2025 data.

However, vaccination rates to protect against meningococcal disease (meningitis) for adolescents increased, and rates across all adult vaccinations stayed steady.

Wisconsinites are encouraged to use the Wisconsin Immunization Registry to check their and their child's vaccine status and to talk to a health care provider they trust about what vaccines are recommended. Read the full press release from DHS here.