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Board hears nurse report: influenza higher than COVID locally, norovirus spike and school-vaccine noncompliance falling
Summary
Public health nurses reported influenza outpacing COVID locally, a sharp rise in suspected norovirus activity, a salmonella cluster, rising syphilis with treatment supply issues, and current school vaccine noncompliance at 761 of 9,366 students.
At its meeting the Framingham City Board of Health received an update from public health nursing staff on respiratory and other infectious-disease trends, vaccine clinics and school-immunization compliance.
Linda (public health nurse) reported respiratory visits rising so that 16% of emergency-department visits are respiratory-related, with influenza cases outnumbering COVID cases roughly two-to-one. She said national counts reported 28 adult and 2 pediatric influenza deaths this season. Local activity was described as rising from moderate to high and MetroWest activity at very high.
Nursing staff showed surveillance data from Neurostat indicating norovirus activity has risen sharply this season compared with historical levels; staff said the vendor suspects a new strain driving more and longer illness (48–72 hours up to five days). The department also recorded locally that congregate-care testing has identified numerous influenza cases.
On reportable infections, staff listed 61 salmonella cases (including a large related outbreak), 22 group A streptococcus cases and 16 campylobacter cases. The nursing update also noted an uptick in syphilis and said clinicians are facing a medication supply issue, making prevention and early diagnosis more important.
Staff gave an update on clinic activity and school immunizations: school clinics were held in December (52 children vaccinated at a high-school clinic on Dec. 20) and local clinics resumed recently. The department provided updated counts during the meeting: 9,366 students in the public schools and 761 students classified as noncompliant with required vaccinations — a noncompliance rate of about 8.1%, a marked improvement from the prior year, staff said. Nursing staff also said the department is not currently providing flu or COVID vaccines at the cited clinic session; that clinic was focused on pediatric school-required vaccinations.
Board members asked clarifying questions about the geographic distribution of the salmonella cases and the school numbers; staff clarified that the salmonella outbreak included one large cluster while cases otherwise occurred in separate areas, and that the 9,366/761 counts are the current totals.
The nursing report also touched on avian influenza and national coordination: staff referenced a new One Health framework from the CDC and federal agencies to address unusual avian-flu spread into domestic animals and milk supplies, and said the issue is being monitored by federal, state and local partners.
Nursing staff encouraged residents to use available federal channels to order COVID test kits when available and said the department will communicate ordering information via its public information officer.
