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Norwalk health staff report improving respiratory season but warn of local measles risk
Summary
Norwalk Health Department presented regional and national respiratory illness trends showing improving flu and RSV but elevated COVID-19 wastewater signals in Connecticut, and reviewed a growing national measles outbreak; health officials urged up-to-date MMR vaccination and outlined local vaccine access.
Brian Weeks, the Norwalk Health Department program director of epidemiology and informatics, delivered a prerecorded update at the Board of Health meeting March 25 that described improving national respiratory illness trends alongside localized COVID-19 signals and a continuing national measles outbreak.
Weeks said national emergency-department and wastewater indicators show overall respiratory activity decreasing, with influenza at moderate levels and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) low. “We are experiencing low overall respiratory illness activity,” Weeks said in the recording, but he added that wastewater surveillance in Connecticut is still showing comparatively high SARS-CoV-2 viral signals, which can presage higher case activity locally.
The state-level wastewater signal, Weeks said, means Connecticut — and particularly the Northeast — could still experience a “COVID-19 bump” through March and April as travel and spring break interactions increase. He urged continued testing, early treatment when indicated, and isolation while symptomatic: stay home until fever-free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medicine and follow masking and testing guidance for five days after symptoms begin.
Weeks also reviewed a national measles outbreak. He said there were about 378 confirmed measles cases across 18 U.S. jurisdictions as of the update, with roughly 75 percent of cases occurring in people 19 years old and younger. “About 95 percent of cases are among people who are unvaccinated or whose immune status is unknown,” Weeks said, and he reported hospitalizations “around 70 percent” of reported cases in this outbreak; the update also noted two deaths associated with the 2025 outbreak (one confirmed, one under investigation).
Deanna D’Amore, the health director presiding at the meeting, directed board members to the Norwalk Health Department measles web page for local guidance and confirmed the department offers MMR vaccine at its clinic. The health department provided a clinic contact number on the record: (203) 854-7776.
Board member Joan McNeil asked whether the department had seen an increase in people coming in for measles vaccine; Medical Director David Reed said the travel clinic had “almost no people” recently and that childhood vaccination program activity was not reported in detail during the meeting. D’Amore said she would check with staff member Darlene for up-to-date counts.
The department advised that people follow CDC recommendations: confirm vaccination status (two-dose MMR series confers high protection once immunity develops), seek testing and early treatment when appropriate, and use nonpharmaceutical measures (hand hygiene, masks, ventilation, and staying home while infectious) to limit spread.
The prerecorded update and the board’s questions emphasized surveillance tools used by the department (emergency-department visit data, CDC NREVSS laboratory reporting, and wastewater surveillance) and the department’s outreach work to promote immunizations.
Local officials did not adopt new policy or declare local emergency actions at the March 25 meeting; the session served as an informational update on current respiratory illness and measles activity and on steps residents can take to reduce transmission.
