Fairfield Board of Health notes measles wastewater signal, reviews mortality gains and local enforcement actions

The Town of Fairfield Board of Health met Feb. 9, 2026, and heard a departmental update that state wastewater surveillance registered a measles signal in western Fairfield County, though no new Connecticut cases were reported locally.

Sam reported that national measles cases have reached 733 so far this year — compared with 2,276 in the same period last year — and that about 95% of recent cases were unvaccinated. "The wastewater surveillance for measles did pick up a positive hit ... in the western part of Fairfield County," Sam said, adding that a wastewater signal "doesn't necessarily mean a Connecticut resident." He cited a CDC analysis that cases sometimes appear an average of about 10 weeks after a wastewater hit (range six to 10 weeks) and said the department is reviewing the CDC toolkit to refresh local preparedness.

The report also noted regional progress on other infectious indicators: influenza, RSV and COVID‑19 metrics are trending downward, and local wastewater SARS‑CoV‑2 levels and COVID hospitalizations remain low.

Sam presented other public‑health work: Heart Month activities including weekly "Know Your Numbers" clinics and a statewide hands‑only CPR challenge that had about 380 video views across roughly 80 Connecticut towns as of the afternoon of Feb. 9. He said public health nursing is currently fully staffed, supported by pay adjustments that have improved retention, and that Sacred Heart University students are completing public‑health rotations with local school nurses. "Hi, it's Sally Connolly," Sam introduced a new board member during the meeting.

On enforcement and environmental health, Sam told the board two properties that had long been on the Board of Condemnation agenda were demolished after the owner negotiated reduced fines in exchange for demolition; the town expects to collect more than $100,000 in fines related to the properties. He said environmental health staff are also managing two legally complex cases—an infestation case and an overcrowding case tied to rental housing near the college area—and that the department will pursue the next legal steps with the town attorney.

The board was told about a recent child elevated‑blood‑lead case. Sam said testing confirmed elevated results, the department approved an abatement plan and staff are working with the owner to implement remediation; outdoor work is being delayed by cold weather.

Sam closed with population‑level health indicators prepared for strategic planning. He said age‑adjusted mortality rates for Fairfield improved in several categories when comparing 2008–2012 with 2018–2022: diseases of the heart (from 301 to 254 per 100,000), chronic lower respiratory disease (49 to 36 per 100,000), and malignant neoplasms (135 to 121 per 100,000). He flagged increases in Alzheimer’s and related dementias and a rise in poisonings (from 6 to 14 per 100,000), and board members noted some increases may reflect age‑distribution effects and changes in exposure patterns, including concerns about youth exposures to cannabis edibles.

Procedural business was brief: members approved the prior meeting minutes with no objections and later moved to adjourn; the Chairman declared the meeting adjourned at 8:01 p.m. The department will present its budget to the Board of Selectmen later this month and is procuring a new strategic‑plan consultant.

Ending: The Board of Health did not vote on new policies at the Feb. 9 meeting; next steps reported were implementation of the lead‑abatement plan, ongoing legal action on overcrowding, strategic‑plan procurement and the departmental budget presentation to the Board of Selectmen.