Summit County reports low early-season respiratory activity; no local measles detections in wastewater since September

Epidemiology staff updated the Board of Health on the county’s respiratory and measles surveillance for the 2025–26 season, reporting low laboratory-confirmed flu, RSV and COVID cases locally to date.

Staff noted a statewide measles count of roughly 64 cases and said new cases had appeared in Utah County and the southwest region. Locally, wastewater surveillance for measles has not shown a positive signal since about Sept. 9. The department has added wastewater indicators to its public dashboard and will update the dashboard weekly.

The presenter told the board the dashboard shows the 2025–26 influenza curve (bright blue on the dashboard) currently sitting well below recent-season peaks. Staff said that seasonal respiratory disease patterns can lag national trends by roughly two weeks and that holiday travel (Thanksgiving) is typically when seasonal respiratory illnesses increase. The presenter also said the dashboard includes historical archives and a tab for COVID wastewater at the bottom of the page.

Board members asked about vaccine clinics and whether the department could report clinic vaccination totals. Staff said they will compile clinic-administered vaccine totals and provide a one-page summary by December, noting that vaccinations administered through private pharmacies are not fully visible to the department’s clinic counts.

The epidemiology presenter invited board feedback on dashboard features and said they would increase font size and user-readability elements when requested by board members.