Norwalk health official: respiratory viruses remain high; CDC reporting shows 93 measles cases in eight jurisdictions

Brian Weeks, program director of epidemiology and informatics for the Norwalk Health Department, told the Board of Health on Feb. 25, 2025, that national and Connecticut indicators for respiratory illness remain elevated and that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had recorded 93 measles cases in eight jurisdictions through Feb. 20, 2025.

Weeks said the CDC’s emergency-department indicators show “the overall respiratory illness activity in the country is at high,” with emergency visits for influenza especially pronounced. He summarized wastewater and syndromic signals as a mix: wastewater viral activity is high for influenza, moderate for COVID-19 and low for RSV nationally, and Connecticut shows very high emergency-department visits for influenza with COVID-19 wastewater signals also elevated.

The measles count, Weeks said, stood at 93 cases in eight jurisdictions (Alaska, California, Georgia, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York City, Rhode Island and Texas) through Feb. 20. He reported that about 30% of cases are under age 5, 52% are ages 5–19, 16% are ages 20 and older, and roughly 25% of reported measles cases required hospitalization for isolation or complication management. Weeks emphasized that most reported cases were among people who were not up to date on measles vaccination.

Why it matters: elevated influenza activity and the potential for COVID-19 upticks increase the risk of severe outcomes in young children, older adults and people with chronic conditions. Measles is highly contagious; local vaccine coverage influences outbreak risk.

Board members asked whether CDC data streams had been disrupted. Weeks acknowledged recent changes in federal data access and visualizations and said some datasets and reporting schedules had been modified, but that the respiratory-activity visuals the department used remained available. He also noted the CDC had resumed regular calls with state and local health departments, which the department views as a stabilizing step in communication.

Weeks repeated standard prevention guidance used by Norwalk health staff: stay up to date on recommended immunizations, practice hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette, seek health care early if clinically indicated (so antiviral treatments can be started when appropriate), use HEPA or MERV-13+ filtration indoors when possible, and stay home while infectious — specifically staying fever-free without antipyretics for 24 hours and using additional precautions for five days.

The presentation included state-level details showing a high and in some metrics increasing trend for influenza in Connecticut, while RSV activity was lower. Weeks said that wastewater surveillance can provide early signals of community viral activity and cautioned that spring-break travel and gatherings often bring an uptick in respiratory infections.

No formal action was taken on the update; it was presented for information and discussion.