If you are sitting at home with the flu right now, you are not alone. According to USA Today, this has been the worst flu season in over a decade. The influenza activity level in Wisconsin was considered “very high” and stable as of February 8th. That is compared to COVID-19, which is at a low activity level and decreasing while RSV is holding stable at a high level. At 3,785, this influenza season has already sent more people to the hospital than in three of the previous four flu seasons. Last season was the highest in the last five years at 3,900 hospitalizations, with this year well ahead of that pace. Door County Public Health Nurses Holly Neri and Stormy Gale cannot pinpoint why this year’s flu season has been so bad, with evolving viruses, higher testing rates, lower vaccination rates, and fewer precautions among the hypotheses. Their advice: stay home if you’re sick.

Neri and Gale hope they are past the peak of the flu season and that the numbers will eventually drop. They also encourage you to get vaccinated if it is right for you and your family to protect yourself from being seriously affected by influenza.