Respiratory Illness Surveillance
- CoVID-19(SARS-CoV-2) levels remain high.
- Flu(influenza) is beginning to be seen in our area. Get your flu vaccine to reduce your risk and the severity of disease.
- Whooping Cough (Pertussis) is in our region, as well as Anchorage and other areas in Alaska. As of August 1, Alaska had 232 pertussis cases compared to 4 cases at this same time last year.
- RSV cases are increasing, especially among infants aged 2 and under as well as persons aged 60+.
Pertussis: The YK Delta continues to see a spike in pertussis cases (not pictured above). This trend isn’t unique to our region. As of August 1, Alaska had reported 131 cases of pertussis (91 since June), compared to 26 cases in 2023. The U.S. is also experiencing an increase, with over 10,000 cases reported so far this year compared to 2,800 during the same period last year.
Pertussis is highly contagious. The DTaP or Tdap vaccine offers protection and is recommended for infants and young children, with booster doses for adolescents and adults. It’s especially important for pregnant women to protect newborns.
Don’t ignore your cough! Be on the lookout for symptoms that could be associated with pertussis. If you have had a cough lasting more than two weeks or a severe cough that occurs in sudden, uncontrollable bursts, especially if followed by vomiting, please reach out to YKHC for evaluation and treatment.
If You Are Sick from a Respiratory Virus:
- Limit your interactions for at least 24 hours after your symptoms improve and you have not had a fever without taking fever-reducing medication.
- For the first five days after symptoms have resolved, consider wearing a well-fitting mask, distancing from others, and getting tested. You may still be contagious.
TREATMENT
COVID-19 treatment can be highly effective if taken within 5 days of symptoms starting. People who received Paxlovid had a 75% reduction in the odds of death and 60% lower odds of hospitalization. Call 907-543-6949 or your local clinic for more information about accessing treatment.
Preventative Measures
Immunizations:
Influenza
This year’s vaccine covers three strains and provides 40%-60% protection against influenza.
Who: Everyone 6 months and older.
When: Protection wanes, so we are targeting October 1, or when we start to see evidence that influenza is circulating in the region (whichever is first), to begin administering vaccines to patients.
Pertussis
The vaccine is recommended for infants and young children with boosters for adolescents and adults. It’s especially important for pregnant women to protect newborns.
COVID-19
There will be three fall COVID-19 vaccines, two which target the same strain and a third which targets a different strain. Last year, staying up to date on your COVID vaccine provided about a 60% increase in protection.
Who: Everyone 6 months and older.
When: Given the current number of COVID-19 cases, we recommend that anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated or infected recently (in the last 4 0 6 months) get updated right away. This guidance may differ for individuals with immunocompromising conditions—check the CDC website or call us for more specific guidance.
RSV – Beyfortus (nirsevimab)
The monoclonal antibody (MAB), Beyfortus (nirsevimab), provides direct antibodies against RSV to infants, unlike a vaccine, which teaches the body to produce an immune response. Real-world data from the YK Delta showed this to be highly effective (~80%) at preventing emergency visits and likely higher protection against hospitalization.
Who: All infants under 8 months, and Alaska Native infants under 20 months, should receive nirsevimab. Depending on the supply we can secure and the timing of its arrival, we may need to prioritize infants in their first RSV season and those at higher risk for severe disease.
When: We are targeting a fall distribution when we start to see evidence that RSV is circulating in the region.
Hygiene: Certain respiratory viruses like RSV and adenovirus are thought to spread through surfaces. Washing your hands often and cleaning and disinfecting surfaces can be helpful for viruses that can be spread in this way.
Clean Air: Ventilation and related strategies like HEPA air filtration to improve indoor air quality can reduce infective viral particle concentrations in indoor air.
We are here to support your health and well-being. Please schedule your COVID and RSV shot and take precautions to protect yourself and our community from respiratory diseases.
YKHC Office of Environmental Heath's Testing of Bethel Wastewater
When people are ill from a viral infection, they release bits of virus into the wastewater when they use the toilet or wash their hands. The YKHC Office of Environmental Health consistently collects and evaluates Bethel wastewater to detect SARS-CoV-2, Influenza A and B, and RSV using sophisticated genomic testing techniques at our wastewater lab in Bethel.
Bits of virus in the wastewater include genetic material known as RNA or DNA. Our lab uses the same type of equipment as the hospital to detect genetic material specific for a particular virus. When we have a positive wastewater test, we know that the virus is in our community. Higher concentrations of the genetic material suggest there are more people with the virus in the community.
Wastewater testing does not tell us who is sick with the virus, but it does help us recognize when a virus enters the community and whether infections are going up or down.
YKHC COVID-19 and Influenza Recommendations:
We strongly urge all residents ages 6 months or older to receive their 2023/2024 flu and COVID-19 shot. This annual vaccination can help protect you from the most serious effects of the flu and reduce the likelihood you will spread the disease to others in our community. The COVID-19 vaccine was updated this fall to more closely align with strains currently circulating in the region.
In Bethel, schedule a time to receive your shot by calling 907-543-6442. In villages, please contact your local clinic to make a flu and COVID shot appointment for you and your family.
Co-infections of influenza, RSV, and COVID-19 with other pathogens can lead to severe illness. If you have a positive COVID-19 test, call 907-543-6949 or your local clinic for more information. There are highly effective COVID-19 treatments that can be administered within 5 days of symptom onset. Additional announcements will be made when the updated COVID-19 vaccine is available.