This week’s full report covers flu, Covid-19 and RSV in all 12 Midwestern states, plus measles updates from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Indiana. Try it free for 7 days, then $5 a month. Cancel online anytime.
Influenza-like illness
The Midwest still has the lowest flu activity in the country, but things are picking up. Flu accounts for 0.7% of emergency department (ED) visits, up from 0.6% the week prior. Outpatient influenza-like illness ticked up from 1.4% to 1.5%. Flu test positivity rose from 4.6% to 5.6% and has risen every week since mid-September.
This week's gain in ED visits was smaller than last week's. Hospital admissions for influenza were flat at 1.2 per 100,000 after last week's jump, but fewer hospitals reported, so some of that is probably due to reporting. Despite the slower start compared to other regions, flu is about three weeks ahead of last season.
The eastern half of the region is ahead of the Plains. Indiana (1.0% of ED visits), Ohio (0.9%) and Michigan (0.8%) lead, while ED visits fell in Iowa and South Dakota.
