The rise in cases and first pediatric death of the season led some Chicago suburbs to put out warnings as the flu continues to spread.
You’re watching the NBC 5 Chicago News streaming channel, which plays local Chicago news 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can find the “NBC 5 Chicago News” streaming channel on your phone or computer, and on Peacock, Samsung, Roku, Xumo or on our app, so you can watch our local news on your schedule.
, with ICU and hospital admissions associated with the illness"dramatically increasing" and Illinois reporting its first child death from flu this season. "Flu activity is currently high in Kane County, and respiratory illnesses are spreading widely in the community," an update Monday from the Kane County Health Department said. In a similar update, suburban Cook County health officials said flu activity had risen to"very high.""The percentage of emergency room visits associated with the flu continues to increase and has surpassed peak values seen last year," a press release from the Cook County Department of Public Health said."Hospital admissions associated with flu and COVID-19 are dramatically increasing. ICU admissions for flu nearly doubled." "Very high" ranks as the most severe of five categories of respiratory illness activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's scale. Across the state, flu cases were continuing to climb, mimicking a similar pattern seen across the country. “Illinois is facing a significant winter surge in seasonal respiratory illnesses with flu activity at very high levels,” Illinois Department of Health Director Dr. Sameer Vohra said in a release Monday. Vohra added that the flu vaccine remains the"most effective tool to prevent from severe illnesses from flu," along with COVID and RSV. The spike in flu is having a serious impact on people under the age of 18, Illinois hospital data show. Children between the ages of 5 and 17 are most impacted by hospital admissions related to acute respiratory illnesses and the flu, while people 65 and older are most impacted by COVID-19. "If you develop symptoms, it is important to get evaluated and treated early in your illness, especially if you are 65 years or older, are a young child under the age of 2 years, are pregnant, have chronic conditions, or care for someone at risk," Vohra went on to say.Health officials in Illinois are warning of a new and unexpected mutation that could make for a “more serious flu season.” Natalie Martinez has more." has brought a change in typical signs of the virus, health experts have said. Among the most prominent are thewith the flu this year than people are accustomed to," Dr. Mark Loafman, chair of Family and Community Medicine at Cook County Health, told NBC Chicago."And the fever can last up to seven days, so five to seven days. And that's worrisome. You feel ill, you feel sick, and you worry that you're not getting better." National spokesperson for the American Lung Association Dr. Juanita Mora said the fevers may not respond to usual treatments, like Tylenol or Ibuprofen. "This new strain has symptoms of really high fevers,"Mora said."It has a really bad cough that won't go away, very phlegmy, and also vomiting and diarrhea and lots of joint aches as well as muscle aches." Though vomiting isn't the most common of symptoms associated with flu, it is seen more often in pediatric cases. With the new variant, doctors have reported more instances of adults experiencing GI issues. "Children with flu do often have GI symptoms - nausea, vomiting - adults less often, but we are seeing anecdotally more signs of some GI illness for the adults who have the subclade K strain of flu," Loafman said, adding that he"wouldn't exclude flu if you have GI symptoms and have the other symptoms like body aches, fever, upper respiratory symptoms." Health officials said Monday flu activity is "very high" in Illinois as the state reported its first child death from the flu. Chris Hush reports..' In late December, doctors warned they expect to see an increase in flu cases for at least the next several weeks, with illnesses not leveling off until the end of January or possibly February. "These are contagious viruses and people are indoors and we've had a lot of holiday travel and people together. So we would expect this spike would continue over the next few weeks," Loafman said. Dr. Santina Wheat, a family physician with Northwestern Medicine, shared similar thoughts in an interview with NBC Chicago, explaining an uptick in cases might occur within the next week as children head back to school. "One is those high fevers that won't break," she said."Two, the other thing, is any signs of shortness of breath. So when kids or adults are having trouble breathing, they start using their chest muscles, they start wheezing audibly, they start having a cough that won't go away. That's a sign to go to the ER. And the third sign I always teach patients: dehydration. So when a kid is hit very hard with the flu or an adult, especially older adults, they don't want to eat or drink so they're just laying in bed but that can be very dangerous."Flu can be detected in infected persons at least one day before symptoms begin, and up to seven days after, but those with flu around three days into their infection, according to the CDC. Some people, like young children and those with weakened immune systems, may be contagious for longer, however. "It's about five to seven days from the symptom onset before you stop really shedding high levels of the virus. So 10 days is perfect, but it really doesn't need to be that long," Loafman said."Again, we recommend wearing a mask around anybody who's vulnerable or if you're in a crowded place for that first seven days. And, you know, absolutely great hand washing hygiene so you're not spreading the virus around. And if you can stay in, stay home."In suburban Cook County, flu vaccines are available at a number of locations through March. It also may be available through primary care offices, and at Walgreens and CVS clinics. Loafman and Mora agreed, saying while this season's flu vaccine was not formulated specifically for the new variant, it will still help prevent against more severe illness. "There has been a lot of talk about the fact that the new variant is not well-covered by it. ... That is true, but you still get protection. And so what we typically see, the folks that are sick, hospitalized, are those who were not vaccinated. ... The vaccine isn't perfect. It doesn't protect all aspects of this from folks. It doesn't keep you necessarily from getting the flu as often as we would like, but it certainly mitigates the severity of illness," Loafman said."So people with flu shot tend to do better. Their symptoms are less likely to get worse. They're more likely to bounce back and recover and stay well and far less likely to be hospitalized or, God forbid, to die from the flu if you've had the vaccine. And it's never too late to get it until the flu season's over - so late March, April, sometime like that." Loafman said even those who have already had the flu should consider getting the vaccine if they haven't already as the risk for reinfection also exists. "There are three strains going around and probably a few more. So you can still be protected from the future," he said.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
New Illinois laws • Drug and gun busts • Son charged in mom's deathThese are the top stories in Fox 32's Week in Review.
Read more »
Illinois State hopes to make history as they seek first FCS national titleIllinois State has already made history, but they're aiming to win their first-ever Football Championship Subdivision title this week.
Read more »
For The Love of... Chicago - CBS News ChicagoFor The Love of... Chicago from CBS News Chicago
Read more »
1st pediatric death from flu this season reported in Illinois, IDPH saysThere have been at least 120,0000 hospitalizations so far, the CDC says.
Read more »
Illinois reports 1st child death from flu in 2025/2026 season as cases keep climbingThe first pediatric flu death for this year's flu season has been reported, Illinois health officials said, as flu cases across the state continue to rise.
Read more »
Illinois reports first child flu death amid 'winter surge' of respiratory illnessesIllinois health officials say a child has died from the flu as the state is seeing a 'winter surge' of respiratory illnesses.
Read more »