Influenza infections are surging statewide as a new strain of the virus continues to spread, and Kankakee County is no exception.

On Monday, the Illinois Department of Public Health issued a statement urging the public to take precautions against the spread of respiratory illnesses, as flu activity has climbed to “very high” levels across the state.

Very high is the most severe of five categories of respiratory illness activity as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, COVID-19 rates have climbed to “moderate” levels in Illinois.

Kankakee County Health Department Administrator John Bevis said levels of viral infections, particularly the flu, are high in the Kankakee area.

Although public health officials are unable to track the exact numbers of infections, wastewater can be tested to gauge viral levels in a community.

Kankakee is one of the areas where wastewater is tested.

“We are seeing those levels are going up, especially for the flu, and a little bit for COVID and [respiratory syncytial virus],” Bevis said. “So, all of those viruses are running rampant in the community.”

More people are beginning to present in the hospitals, he noted.

A Prime Healthcare official said hospitalizations due to the flu have doubled from November to December across the hospital system, including at St. Mary’s in Kankakee.

Riverside Healthcare also confirmed that the positive case count is increasing for the flu.

After having zero cases from July through November, flu cases began occurring at Riverside in December and have ramped up in the past two weeks, an official said.

This also is the trend statewide.

The Illinois Department of Public Health reported that hospital admissions doubled over the week of Dec. 21 to 27 from the previous week.

A total of 8% of all emergency room visits were due to the flu, and 19.4% were due to overall acute respiratory cases, the IDPH said.

This time of year, when school breaks and holiday travel are common, the spread of illness becomes particularly challenging.

“When you get the cold weather coupled with big family gatherings, somebody invariably will be ill,” Bevis said. “And besides Christmas gifts, you’re going to spread the gift of cold or flu or some other virus that’s going on.”

The advice from the Kankakee County Health Department is the same as it is every year.

1. The No. 1 piece of advice – as always – is to wash your hands.
2. If you are sick, stay home.
3. Wait 24 hours after a fever is gone before going out into public.
4. If you must go out when sick, wearing a mask can help prevent the spread of illness.

If you become very sick, seek medical attention. It is possible to develop pneumonia after fighting a cold or the flu, which can be especially dangerous for older or health-compromised populations.

Doctors can provide antiviral medications that help to reduce flu symptoms.

Flu shots and other vaccinations are available at the health department, pharmacies and doctors’ offices to reduce the risk of becoming infected.

Subclade K, the current influenza variant, is a mutated strain of the H3N2 influenza A virus and is causing a particularly harsh flu season.

Because this strain wasn’t on the radar when this season’s vaccine was being developed, flu shots won’t offer complete resistance against it.

However, Bevis said, the shots still offer some resistance and can lessen the severity of flu symptoms.

Some are calling the new strain of the virus “super flu” because of its prevalence, Bevis said.

It is possible, according to some research, that the dominance of the COVID-19 virus over the past few years may have lowered the population’s resistance to the flu, Bevis said.

“We’ve not really been battling [the flu] for a few years, which might be why it is striking people harder,” he said.

According to the IDPH, 21.9% of Illinois residents have received the flu shot this season, while only 6.8% have received COVID-19 immunization.