Seasonal respiratory illnesses on the rise, especially in children and elderly

The Illinois Department of Public Health has raised the state's overall respiratory illness level from Low to Moderate, meaning that Illinoisans face an increased chance of exposure to seasonal illnesses as families gather for the holidays.

IDPH's Seasonal Respiratory Illness Dashboard indicates that hospital admissions for COVID, flu and RSV all ticked up as a percent of all hospital admissions in the week ending Dec. 14. 

The percentage of emergency department visits due to respiratory illness increased from 13.8% in the previous week to 14.7%. The state is also continuing to see a rise in ICU admissions due to RSV, especially by children 0-4 years old.

Doctors urge you to use all the tools at your disposal to protect friends and family who are most vulnerable to severe outcomes. This includes those who are over 65, very young children and people who are immunosuppressed.

They mention vaccines, enhanced ventilation and good hand hygiene as good practice.