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Cascade County reports flu uptick, launches surveillance tabletop exercises and expands lab partnerships
Summary
Health department epidemiology staff reported an increase in influenza activity, discussed RSV and pertussis counts, and described plans for two tabletop exercises and improved lab-surveillance communication.
Cascade County public health staff reported rising influenza activity, ongoing surveillance of respiratory illnesses and plans to increase collaboration among local providers, laboratories and regional partners.
Sarah Casino, epidemiologist, said an influx of previously unreported influenza cases caused a recent spike in the department's cumulative numbers; she told the board about roughly 200 cases that were submitted late and then added to recent totals. "About week 2 is when it really started to kinda amp up. We're seeing mostly influenza A with a sparse B here," she said.
Staff reported 38 new RSV cases this past month and 47 RSV cases total for the current season. The county has had one confirmed pertussis case so far in the season. Sarah said syphilis cases are down by 19 compared with last year at this point.
Public health staff described plans to hold two tabletop exercises with surveillance partners: a foodborne illness tabletop in early summer and a respiratory-illness tabletop toward the end of the year. The department intends to broaden participation to include laboratory micro leads and other partners so reporting practices are consistent and faster.
Sarah said the department is exploring a secure, non-patient-sharing group chat (Teams) for rapid situational awareness among surveillance partners so partners can flag potential cases quickly without transmitting protected health information. "An hour delay, a day delay, you know, some of those have big impacts," she said.
Board members asked about avian influenza; staff reported there have been no confirmed human cases in Montana and that animal infections are monitored by Fish, Wildlife and Parks and by agricultural partners. County staff said they would rely on state lab typing when hospital patients with severe influenza are hospitalized and the state deems it appropriate to subtype specimens.
No regulatory actions were taken during the report; staff said they will continue surveillance and provide updates to the board.
