Flu season tapering off in Flathead County, but other outbreaks still an issue

Hospitalizations in Flathead County are declining after a rough start to flu season, but there are many other outbreaks health department officials are keeping an eye on.

According to a report from the Population Health Division of the Flathead City-County Health Department, 40 people were hospitalized in the valley for influenza in December 2022. That number dropped to 15 in January, a sign that a hot flu season was starting to cool off.

“In late January and mid-February we kind of had a little bump, kind of similar to what we've seen in previous seasons, granted on a very smaller scale,” said Population Health Manager Lisa Dennison. “But again, that trend is continuing to go down.”

Dennison presented the report to the Flathead City-County Board of Health at its March meeting last week. It shows a sharp spike of more than 300 flu cases around mid-December which dropped significantly by mid-January. When asked by a board member why this happened, as compared to more of a bell curve trend in other flu seasons, Dennison said she was unsure. But there were early signs it would play out this way, she said.

“I'm not quite sure of the rationale. But, I know that with the southern hemisphere, specifically Australia, we kind of mirror what they have because they're the season ahead of us. And that's exactly what they saw in the southern hemisphere — a very abrupt and sharp increase in cases at the beginning of the season and then they tapered off,” Dennison told the board.

She said county officials have stayed busy tracking other disease outbreaks as well as the annual flu season. There have been 38 outbreaks in Flathead County so far in 2023. They track what pathogens are moving around some of the most vulnerable places in the community, such as day care centers, nursing homes and schools.

Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 28, there were seven outbreaks of Covid-19 and five outbreaks of a respiratory illness with an unknown pathogen. In addition to this, Dennison said norovirus has been more of a problem recently.

“Norovirus is rearing its ugly head. So far it's been a pretty active week, we've had a couple of facilities with norovirus outbreaks and then based on the information that we're getting from our surveillance partners and the community, norovirus is kind of wandering around,” Dennison said.

She said they’ve seen the gastrointestinal illness spread in congregate settings, but also throughout the community. It’s a hardy virus that tends to live on surfaces for a long time. A small amount of it can lead to an infection and cause illness. Symptoms of norovirus include vomiting and diarrhea.

Dennison said county officials are working with their partners and disseminating information on social media on how to best prevent the spread of norovirus and other illnesses.

“This is a good reminder that folks should stay home when sick, not prepare food for others for at least two days after symptoms stop, and wash your hands often,” Dennison said. “Hand sanitizers do not work well against norovirus so it’s important to wash your hands with warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds to prevent transmission.”

She said they are also seeing outbreaks of hand, foot and mouth disease in younger congregate settings such as day cares, preschools and schools. This is another illness that can spread quickly in child care facilities as it is very contagious.

Dennison said it’s important for children to wash their hands or use hand sanitizers when soap and water are not available, Dennison said. Cleaning and disinfecting areas are also essential to mitigate the spread.

Visit the Flathead City-County Health Department’s website for more information about norovirus as well as how to combat it and other illnesses: https://flathead.mt.gov/department-directory/health.

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4433 or tinman@dailyinterlake.com.