Hospitals and physicians preparing for continued increase in flu and RSV cases

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — North Carolina has seen a significant increase in the number of flu and RSV cases in recent weeks and hospitals expect the numbers to keep increasing.

Currently, 17% of all hospital visits in the state are to receive treatment for a respiratory illness, an increase of nearly 3 percent from last week.

Across the state, about 1,000 people are hospitalized due to respiratory illnesses, such as influenza and RSV.

The increase in emergency visits can also be attributed to residual symptoms such as coughing, which continues to linger even after people have recovered from their illness.

Kristen Ballard is a family medicine nurse practitioner with Wilmington Health.

As symptoms continue to linger, Ballard said they can lead to even worse illnesses, if not treated properly.

“RSV in and of itself, as well as other respiratory viruses such as the flu can lead to secondary pneumonia, bronchitis, and really have a significant insult on the lungs, when not cared for appropriately and caught early and treated,” Ballard.

Ballard also said the increase in cases could be due to so-called vaccine fatigue, where people aren’t getting vaccinated for common illnesses like flu.

Michael Turner said while he understands why some people might not want to keep up with their vaccines, doing so will lead to people spending a lot of time in the hospital.

“They’re sick of it but you know its better than being in the hospital and being poked with a lot more needles there,” Turner said. “So if you just get your shot before the season and when its available to you, chances are good that you can prevent an illness that’s actually going to put you in the hospital.”

Since the start of the flu season, 22 people in North Carolina have died from influenza, with the majority of those deaths involving seniors.