Northampton public health nurses report rising respiratory activity, announce vaccine clinics and outreach

At the Jan. 16 meeting of the Northampton Board of Health, public health nurse Jennifer Dankiewicz reported that emergency-department visits and wastewater viral signals show a seasonal rise in respiratory illness and described planned vaccine clinics and community outreach.

Dankiewicz told the board that “we do have a COVID influenza is moderate and RSV is high levels right now,” and clarified the measures are a snapshot of people seeking care rather than total case counts. She said wastewater viral activity for Northampton is trending up after the holidays, a typical pattern, and cautioned that wastewater data reflect trends rather than raw case counts.

The nurse reviewed prevention guidance offered by the department: immunization, hand and respiratory hygiene, improving indoor air, staying home while ill (24 hours fever-free before ending isolation and additional precautions for five days), mask use, social distancing when appropriate, and testing. She noted the U.S. Postal Service is offering free home tests for each household and that some pharmacies can bill insurers for tests.

Dankiewicz announced clinic dates: a neighborhood clinic on Jan. 21 from 3 to 5 p.m. and an Amherst Bank Center clinic on Feb. 2 from 3 to 5 p.m.; she said clinics will be monthly thereafter and the department offers Pfizer for adults and both Pfizer and Moderna for children. She also said targeted clinics are planned for sites including Mana and Meadowbrook and some workplaces.

On norovirus, Dankiewicz described it as highly contagious and primarily spread by the fecal–oral route, contaminated food or water, touching infected surfaces and, in some cases, aerosolized vomit. Symptoms typically begin one to two days after exposure and usually last up to three days; people can remain infectious up to 72 hours after symptoms end. She said handwashing with soap and water is the preferred prevention measure and that bleach-based cleaners are most effective for disinfecting surfaces. She cited Norostat (CDC monthly participating public-health reports) showing 494 reported cases from August–December 2024 compared with 363 for the same period the prior year.

Dankiewicz also briefed the board on H5N1 avian influenza: she said the strain is evolving and circulating in wild birds and that, in 2024, the strain was detected in cattle in multiple states. She said there was no evidence of H5N1 in Massachusetts at the time of her report and that Massachusetts Agriculture had been conducting milk testing since August 2024. She noted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had reported a recent human death linked to a backyard flock and reiterated standard CDC precautions: avoid contact with sick birds, do not drink unpasteurized milk, isolate sick livestock and use personal protective equipment when tending sick animals.

On outreach, Dankiewicz said the department continues homebound vaccination visits, blood-pressure monitoring and education at Northampton Housing Authority properties and the Senior Center, and work with the Public Health Excellence program in neighboring towns. She said public health nurses will meet with school nurses in March 2025 to discuss the childhood vaccine program and that nurses attend monthly DPH public-health nursing meetings.

Dankiewicz updated the board on the Healthy Northampton community needs assessment. She said survey responses were “a little over 1,300” complete and that a recent CodeRED outreach call boosted responses by about 200. The departmental goal had been tempered from 5,000 to 3,000 surveys based on the city’s adult population; Dankiewicz asked board members to share the survey and said paper and mailed options are available for residents without internet access.

The update ended with an overview of public-health staffing and plans to continue outreach and prevention work, including coordination with schools, targeted vaccine clinics and maintaining surveillance for respiratory and zoonotic threats.

Ending: The board thanked Dankiewicz for the report and asked clarifying questions about survey counts and planned school collaboration. No formal action was taken during the presentation; board members were invited to help publicize the community survey.