Clark County respiratory illness ER visits climb

Emergency room visits for influenza and acute respiratory illness in Clark County have been slowly rising since December, mirroring state and national trends.

Emergency room visits for influenza are up 1.8 percent since mid-December, according to Clark County Public Health data. Acute respiratory illnesses were up 2.7 percent. They accounted for 14.2 percent of total emergency visits in the week of Dec. 21 to 27, the highest this season.

Hospital admissions are trending higher for influenza at 2.2 percent, up from the previous weeks, and acute respiratory illness remains the highest at 18.5 percent, up 3.5 percent from the previous weeks.

Levels of COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, have been low, with both of them making up only 0.2 percent of emergency room visits and zero percent of hospital admissions in Clark County the last week of December.

This time last year, emergency visits for COVID-19 made up 0.8 percent of total visits, and in 2023, it accounted for 4 percent of total visits.

Clark County Public Health data on COVID-19, influenza, RSV and acute respiratory illness is updated weekly. The county’s public dashboard compares trends from the past three years and uses data from the Washington State Department of Health. It also tracks current influenza activity, including the percentage of positive tests, circulating strains of the virus and information about outbreaks in long-term care facilities.

Clark County’s partner labs reported an influenza positivity rate of 11.5 percent during the week of Dec. 7-13, higher than state trends. Washington and Oregon reported rates of 8 percent and 4 percent, respectively.

Ed Kauffman, a specialized nurse practitioner and owner of Vancouver Direct Primary Care, said environmental factors such as low temperature and humidity in late fall and early spring enhance viral transmission.

He’s had plenty of patients come in sick with influenza-like illnesses compared with the previous months.

“It’s been pretty brutal this winter,” Kauffman said. “There were a lot of people who were very sick throughout the holidays. Anecdotally, it has definitely seemed like there was a big uptick.”

An important way to protect yourself from contracting a respiratory illness during the peak season is immunization and vaccination, if you meet the guidelines, Kauffman said. Staying home when symptomatic or wearing a mask are other ways to reduce your chances of spreading illnesses.