Respiratory illnesses typically spike in the fall and winter.
With COVID levels already relatively high in Wisconsin, local health officials are urging people to take steps to protect themselves.
There are vaccines available for COVID, influenza, and RSV.
As WXPR previously reported, the COVID vaccine has been updated to be protect against the latest strain.
A trivalent vaccine will be used this year for influenza. This means it targets the three most common strains of influenza.
“It was in the past a quadrivalent, or four strain vaccine, which you may have heard of. The reason they went from a four to a three is because they have found through research one of the strains was really no longer prevalent or circulating as much as the others,” said Dr. Michael Walters, the Aspirus Senior Vice President and System Chief Medical Officer.
Both the COVID and Flu vaccines are recommended for everyone six months and older.
The RSV vaccine is for vulnerable populations like pregnant women and older adults.
Monoclonal antibodies are recommended for infants.
“We always thought [RSV] to be a relatively mild illness and we are seeing over the last few years that it really is causing more severe illness and increase in hospitalizations which really reflects the importance on getting immunized this year,” said Walters.
Vaccines are meant to reduce the risk of developing severe or life-threatening illness from any of these viruses.
“We continue to have limited resources in healthcare and so every hospitalization we can prevent by immunization, it’s a resource we can use on others,” said Walters.
Many local hospitals, clinics, health departments, and pharmacies are now offering seasonal vaccinations.
