August 6

Welcome to Between Two Graphs with Nancy Porter, your Summit County Epidemiologist. We’ve officially entered the respiratory disease offseason, so this dashboard may look a little different than usual. While flu and RSV are mostly on summer break (for now), measles is not.

Utah Measles Count: 11 confirmed cases

Measles Update

Overall, 41 states have reported measles cases in 2025. In the U.S. this puts the total of confirmed measles cases in 2025 to 1,358 cases. Mexico is up to 3,443 cases and Canada has reported 4,394 cases this year.

The U.S. has now crossed the threshold of the most reported measles cases in one year since 1992 (measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000). Just because we have surpassed that number doesn’t automatically mean that the US will lose its elimination status. The World Health Organization (WHO) is the organization that defines that status, and the designation of measles elimination means that measles is not endemic in the U.S. Endemic just means that measles doesn’t spread continuously without being sparked by international travel (i.e., the spread isn’t continuing in the U.S. without some outside influence). However, we will lose that designation if an outbreak lasts more than 12 months. Currently, we are a little over half-way there, so if some of those large outbreaks continue for another 5 months, we will lose the WHO designation of measles being eliminated in the U.S.

In-between updates you can check out Johns Hopkins University’s measles tracking dashboard: • Case counts by state • An interactive map and searchable data table • View it here: Johns Hopkins Measles Dashboard

Local Measles Activity & Exposures:

The total number of cases in Utah is 11 cases. There are 7 cases in Utah County, and 4 cases in the Southwest health district. Last week an out-of-state visitor traveled through Utah while they were infectious and stopped in Beaver, UT for lunch (see below for details).

Current Exposure Locations:

Locations: Denny’s (630 W 1400 N) & Flying J (653 W 1400N) in Beaver Utah Date & Time: July 27, 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. End of Symptom Watch: August 18, 2025

If you were at either of these locations during the times listed, watch for measles-like symptoms and use the link in the table below to fill out a survey for information and next steps based on your risk for getting measles. The survey is available in both English and Spanish.UDHHS measles exposure survey

Public exposures in Utah have been limited, but please check the state’s website for updated exposure locations Utah Measles Tracking

Measles Symptoms

Measles symptoms typically appear 7–14 days after exposure, so if you were in the area during that window and begin to feel sick, please call your healthcare provider, or give us a call at 435-333-1500. People who have a high fever (101°F (39°C) or higher) and a cough, runny nose, or red eyes may have early stages of measles. A rash will usually appear after 4 days of fever. If you do develop symptoms you should stay away from other people and call your healthcare provider. Call first before you go to a clinic or hospital to prevent other people from exposure.

MMR Information

The most effective way to prevent measles is through vaccination. Receiving two doses of the MMR/MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, /varicella (chickenpox)) vaccine provides strong protection against the virus. One dose of MMR or MMRV vaccine is 93% effective against measles, and two doses are 97% effective. It takes the body about 14 days after receiving the vaccine to develop immunity to measles. If you are unsure about your vaccination status, you can access your UTAH records here

If you’ve been unsure or on the fence about the MMR vaccine, now is a great time to revisit that conversation. Vaccines save lives.

Offseason Monthly Respiratory Disease Update for July

Flu and RSV have remained low to none for most of the summer, however, Covid cases had a bit of an uptick last month. Anecdotally, I have been hearing more about people testing positive for Covid recently. The wastewater reports for July have been showing a slight increase in Covid detections, specifically in the Snyderville Basin. I would start to pay attention to your symptoms and not just assume allergies. We still have free Covid tests available here at the health department. You can come by and pick some up by the entrance at the Park City office.

Additional Information

There’s a lot of information circulating—some accurate, some not. If you have questions about something you’ve seen online or want to better understand the validity of a report, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m more than happy to talk through any concerns you may have.

In case you missed it, last month I posted some information on what we currently know about the state of the Covid vaccine. Check it out in the Archived Reports tab up top for July 10. Once we know more, I will share that information here.

request: If you like reading these updates and would like to see them on a regular basis, please send me an email and let me know! nporter@summitcountyutah.gov

To schedule a time to get a MMR shot, please call any of our health department locations: Park City: 435-333-1512 Kamas: 435-783-3161 Coalville: 435-336-3234

Measles Information: Johns Hopkins Measles Dashboard CDC Utah Summit County

Side Note: While you wait for the weekly updates to return, I invite you to check out the Summit County Community Health Assessment report—a yearlong project that I’m thrilled to finally share. This report offers insights that we hope will shape not only our public health programs but also support the work of other community groups. You can explore the full report here:

July 17

Welcome to Between Two Graphs with Nancy Porter, your Summit County Epidemiologist. We’ve officially entered the respiratory disease offseason, so this dashboard may look a little different than usual. While flu and RSV are mostly on summer break (for now), measles is not.

Utah Measles Count: 10 confirmed cases

Measles Update

Overall, 40 states have reported measles cases in 2025. In the U.S. this puts the total of confirmed measles cases in 2025 to 1,311 cases. We have now crossed the threshold of the most reported measles cases in one year since 1992 (measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000). Just because we have surpassed that number doesn’t automatically mean that the US will lose its elimination status. The World Health Organization (WHO) is the organization that defines that status, and the designation of measles elimination just means that measles is not endemic in the US. Endemic just means that measles doesn’t spread continuously without being sparked by international travel (i.e., the spread isn’t continuing in the US without some outside influence). However, we will lose that designation if an outbreak lasts more than 12 months. Currently, we are half-way there, so if some of those large outbreaks continue for another 6 months, we will lose the WHO designation of measles being eliminated in the US.

In-between updates (I will be on vacation next week, so the next update to this dashboard will be on the 30th), you can check out Johns Hopkins University’s measles tracking dashboard: • Case counts by state • An interactive map and searchable data table • View it here: Johns Hopkins Measles Dashboard

Local Measles Activity & Exposures:

The national measles outbreak has officially landed in Utah. The total number of cases in Utah is now 10 cases. There are 7 cases in Utah County, and 3 cases in the Southwest health district. The public exposures for these cases have been limited, but please check the state’s website for updated exposure locations Utah Measles Tracking

Measles was detected in the wastewater in Provo last week. This means that at least one person in the area was recently sick with measles (this isn’t a huge surprise since we have 7 cases in that county). Measles wastewater analysis is slightly different than checking for Covid. The testing that they are doing for measles is going to be reported as a binary (yes it was detected, or not it wasn’t), rather than an amount of measles detected like it is reported for Covid. Currently, it is only an independent group (Wastewater SCAN) that is testing for measles in select sites in the U.S. (this is the site that I have used occasionally to report on norovirus, RSV, and flu during the respiratory season). The exciting news is that in the next week or so, the Utah Department of Health and Human Services (UDHHS) will start testing wastewater for measles. Soon we will be able to track and see if measles is present in the wastewater in Summit County.

There are no current known public exposures in Utah. But, if you have visited other states with public exposures, please pay attention to any symptoms that may appear.

Measles symptoms typically appear 7–14 days after exposure, so if you were in the area during that window and begin to feel sick, please call your healthcare provider, or give us a call at 435-333-1500. People who have a high fever (101°F (39°C) or higher) and a cough, runny nose, or red eyes may have early stages of measles. A rash will usually appear after 4 days of fever. If you do develop symptoms you should stay away from other people and call your healthcare provider. Call first before you go to a clinic or hospital to prevent other people from exposure.

The most effective way to prevent measles is through vaccination. Receiving two doses of the MMR/MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, /varicella (chickenpox)) vaccine provides strong protection against the virus. One dose of MMR or MMRV vaccine is 93% effective against measles, and two doses are 97% effective. It takes the body about 14 days after receiving the vaccine to develop immunity to measles. If you are unsure about your vaccination status, you can access your UTAH records here

If you’ve been unsure or on the fence about the MMR vaccine, now is a great time to revisit that conversation. Vaccines save lives.

There’s a lot of information circulating—some accurate, some not. If you have questions about something you’ve seen online or want to better understand the validity of a report, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m more than happy to talk through any concerns you may have.

In case you missed it, last week I posted some information on what we currently know about the state of the Covid vaccine. Check it out in the Archived Reports tab up top for July 10.

request: If you like reading these updates and would like to see them on a regular basis, please send me an email and let me know! nporter@summitcountyutah.gov

To schedule a time to get a MMR shot, please call any of our health department locations: Park City: 435-333-1512 Kamas: 435-783-3161 Coalville: 435-336-3234

Measles Information: Johns Hopkins Measles Dashboard CDC Utah Summit County

Side Note: While you wait for the weekly updates to return, I invite you to check out the Summit County Community Health Assessment report—a yearlong project that I’m thrilled to finally share. This report offers insights that we hope will shape not only our public health programs but also support the work of other community groups. You can explore the full report here:

July 10

Welcome to Between Two Graphs with Nancy Porter, your Summit County Epidemiologist. We’ve officially entered the respiratory disease offseason, so this dashboard may look a little different than usual. While flu and RSV are mostly on summer break (for now), measles is not (and COVID seems to be cutting its summer vacation a little short).

Utah Measles Count: 9 confirmed cases

Measles Update

In the last week, 2 more states have reported their first measles cases bringing the total to 40 states. In the U.S. this puts the total of confirmed measles cases in 2025 to 1,297 cases. We have now crossed the threshold of the most reported measles cases in one year since 1992 (measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000). Just because we have surpassed that number doesn’t automatically mean that the US will lose its elimination status. The WHO is the organization that defines that status, and the designation of measles elimination just means that measles is not endemic in the US. Endemic just means that measles doesn’t spread continuously without being sparked by international travel (i.e., the spread isn’t continuing in the US without some outside influence). However, we will lose that designation if an outbreak lasts more than 12 months. Currently, we are half-way there, so if some of those large outbreaks continue for another 6 months, we will lose the WHO designation of measles being eliminated in the US.

In-between updates, you can check out Johns Hopkins University’s measles tracking dashboard: • Case counts by state • An interactive map and searchable data table • View it here: Johns Hopkins Measles Dashboard

Local Measles Activity & Exposures:

The national measles outbreak has officially landed in Utah. On June 20th, Utah reported its first confirmed measles case, and over the past week, the total number of cases in Utah is now up to 9 cases. There are 7 cases in Utah County, and 2 cases in the Southwest health district. The public exposures for these cases have been limited, but please check the state’s website for updated exposure locations Utah Measles Tracking

There are no current known public exposures in Utah. Utah’s case count has stayed at 9 cases for about a week now.

But, if you have visited other states with public exposures, please pay attention to any symptoms that may appear.

Measles symptoms typically appear 7–14 days after exposure, so if you were in the area during that window and begin to feel sick, please call your healthcare provider, or give us a call at 435-333-1500. People who have a high fever (101°F (39°C) or higher) and a cough, runny nose, or red eyes may have early stages of measles. A rash will usually appear after 4 days of fever. If you do develop symptoms you should stay away from other people and call your healthcare provider. Call first before you go to a clinic or hospital to prevent other people from exposure.

The most effective way to prevent measles is through vaccination. Receiving two doses of the MMR/MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, /varicella (chickenpox)) vaccine provides strong protection against the virus. One dose of MMR or MMRV vaccine is 93% effective against measles, and two doses are 97% effective. It takes the body about 14 days after receiving the vaccine to develop immunity to measles. If you are unsure about your vaccination status, you can access your UTAH records here

If you’ve been unsure or on the fence about the MMR vaccine, now is a great time to revisit that conversation. Vaccines save lives. There’s a lot of information circulating—some accurate, some not. If you have questions about something you’ve seen online or want to better understand the validity of a report, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m more than happy to talk through any concerns you may have.

Monthly Respiratory Disease Update:

Not a whole lot to report here. Flu and RSV have stayed low. Covid levels remain low overall with a few little bumps here and there, but there could be a late summer wave that hits. Just keep an eye out for symptoms, especially a sore throat. Wastewater in Summit has remained low for the majority of the summer.

I know information on Covid vaccines has been a bit turbulent lately, but here is what we do know:

During last season (Fall 2024–Spring 2025), the CDC recommended a single dose of the updated COVID-19 vaccine for everyone aged 6 months and older, based on guidance from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) in June 2024. Later, in October 2024, ACIP expanded that recommendation to include an additional dose for older adults and individuals with moderate or severe immunocompromising conditions. Since then, under new federal leadership, the approach has shifted.

As of now: • There are no official COVID-19 vaccine recommendations for the 2025–2026 season. ACIP met in June 2025, but has not yet released new guidance. • For children aged 6 months to 17 years, COVID-19 vaccination is no longer routinely recommended. Instead, vaccination is now considered under a Shared Clinical Decision-Making (SCDM) model—meaning a healthcare provider will help families decide whether the vaccine is appropriate based on the child’s specific health circumstances. • There is currently no guidance for pregnant individuals regarding COVID-19 vaccination (as of May 2025).

A CDC workgroup is actively reviewing available data and is expected to make a recommendation; however, we do not know when. Once we have updated information, we will share it with the public as quickly and clearly as possible.

In the meantime, we encourage everyone—especially those at higher risk—to stay in close contact with their healthcare provider and monitor trusted public health sources for updates.

July 2

Welcome to Between Two Graphs with Nancy Porter, your Summit County Epidemiologist. We’ve officially entered the respiratory disease offseason, so this dashboard may look a little different than usual. While flu and RSV are mostly on summer break (for now), measles is not (and COVID seems to be cutting its summer vacation a little short).

Utah Measles Count: 9 confirmed cases

Measles Update

In the last 3 weeks, 4 more states have reported their first measles cases bringing the total to 38 states. In the U.S. this puts the total of confirmed measles cases in 2025 to 1,271 cases. In Canada, the situation is also escalating, with 3,526 cases reported so far in 2025, and Mexico is reporting 1,926 cases.

In-between updates, you can check out Johns Hopkins University’s measles tracking dashboard: • Case counts by state • An interactive map and searchable data table • View it here: Johns Hopkins Measles Dashboard

Local Measles Activity & Exposures:

The national measles outbreak has officially landed in Utah. On June 20th, Utah reported its first confirmed measles case, and over the past week, the total number of cases in Utah is now up to 9 cases. There are 7 cases in Utah County, and 2 cases in the Southwest health district. The public exposures for these cases have been limited, but please check the state’s website for updated exposure locations Utah Measles Tracking

Current Known Public Exposures in Utah: • Parkway Health Center (Orem) – June 13 – 12:30 pm – 3:00 pm • Timpanogos Regional ER – June 14 – 2:00 pm – 9:00 pm

If you were at any of these locations during the times listed, watch for measles-like symptoms and use this link to fill out a survey to find out your risk for getting measles. The survey is available in both English and Spanish.

Measles symptoms typically appear 7–14 days after exposure, so if you were in the area during that window and begin to feel sick, please call your healthcare provider, or give us a call at 435-333-1500. People who have a high fever (101°F (39°C) or higher) and a cough, runny nose, or red eyes may have early stages of measles. A rash will usually appear after 4 days of fever. If you do develop symptoms you should stay away from other people and call your healthcare provider. Call first before you go to a clinic or hospital to prevent other people from exposure.

The most effective way to prevent measles is through vaccination. Receiving two doses of the MMR/MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, /varicella (chickenpox)) vaccine provides strong protection against the virus. One dose of MMR or MMRV vaccine is 93% effective against measles, and two doses are 97% effective. It takes the body about 14 days after receiving the vaccine to develop immunity to measles. If you are unsure about your vaccination status, you can access your UTAH records here

If you’ve been unsure or on the fence about the MMR vaccine, now is a great time to revisit that conversation. Vaccines save lives. There’s a lot of information circulating—some accurate, some not. If you have questions about something you’ve seen online or want to better understand the validity of a report, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’m more than happy to talk through any concerns you may have.

request: If you like reading these updates and would like to see them on a regular basis, please send me an email and let me know! nporter@summitcountyutah.gov

To schedule a time to get a MMR shot, please call any of our health department locations: Park City: 435-333-1512 Kamas: 435-783-3161 Coalville: 435-336-3234

Measles Information: Johns Hopkins Measles Dashboard CDC Utah Summit County

Side Note: While you wait for the weekly updates to return, I invite you to check out the Summit County Community Health Assessment report—a yearlong project that I’m thrilled to finally share. This report offers insights that we hope will shape not only our public health programs but also support the work of other community groups. You can explore the full report here:

June 4

Welcome to Between Two Graphs with Nancy Porter, your Summit County Epidemiologist. We’ve officially entered the respiratory disease offseason, so this dashboard may look a little different than usual. While flu, RSV, and COVID are mostly on summer break (for now), measles is not.

Measles Update

As of June 4, 34 states have reported at least one measles case, with a national total of around 1,158 cases—348 new cases since May 15. In Canada, the situation is also escalating, with 2,755 cases reported so far in 2025, nearly double the number from just a few weeks ago.

Because measles cases are becoming more widespread and frequent, national tracking has become increasingly time-consuming. Going forward, this dashboard will focus on weekly local updates—but for national context, Johns Hopkins University has just released a comprehensive measles dashboard that covers: • Case counts by state • Public exposure listings with dates and locations • An interactive map and searchable data table • View it here: Johns Hopkins Measles Dashboard

Local Measles Activity & Exposures:

There are currently no confirmed measles cases in Utah, but there was a potential exposure over Memorial Day weekend in southwestern Utah (likely in the St. George area). An unvaccinated out-of-state resident visited family on May 26–27, later developed a rash, and tested positive for measles. The family they visited was also unvaccinated. Public health officials are now working to identify any public locations visited during that time to notify people of potential exposure. Measles symptoms typically appear 10–14 days after exposure, so if you were in the area during that window and begin to feel sick, please call us at 435-333-1500.

A second potential exposure occurred in the Salt Lake City airport around the same time, involving a fully vaccinated traveler. This individual made no stops in Utah and continued on to Idaho, where all public exposures occurred. You can view those listed on the Johns Hopkins Measles Dashboard.

Breakthrough cases like this—where a fully vaccinated person contracts measles—are rare and tend to be less contagious. Two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97% effective, and one dose is 93% effective. Thanks to air travel records, public health teams were able to quickly notify those exposed, and this case poses limited risk to the general public.

A Quick Reminder: Measles is a highly contagious virus spread through airborne droplets from coughing or sneezing. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a widespread rash. Serious complications can include pneumonia, brain swelling, and even death—especially in those who are unvaccinated.

Monthly Respiratory Disease Update

Although we’re in the offseason, we’ve seen a slight uptick in flu, RSV, and COVID cases over the past month—small, but something to take note of for this time of year. • COVID wastewater concentrations are fluctuating between low and watch levels across all three Summit County monitoring sites • Nationally, flu, RSV, and COVID remain relatively quiet

Meanwhile, norovirus continues to circulate, with 10.3% test positivity nationwide. Rates are especially high in the West, Midwest, and South.

Pro tip: Handwashing is still one of the easiest and most effective ways to prevent illness—from measles to norovirus and everything in between.

To schedule a time to get a MMR shot, please call any of our health department locations: Park City: 435-333-1512 Kamas: 435-783-3161 Coalville: 435-336-3234

Measles Information: CDC Utah Summit County

Side Note: While you wait for the weekly updates to return, I invite you to check out the Summit County Community Health Assessment report—a yearlong project that I’m thrilled to finally share. This report offers insights that we hope will shape not only our public health programs but also support the work of other community groups. You can explore the full report here:

Measles May 15

Welcome to Between Two Graphs with Nancy Porter, your Summit County Epidemiologist. We are now in the seasonal respiratory disease offseason, so this dashboard may look a little different than what you’re used to. Even though flu, RSV, and covid are on summer break (for now), unfortunately measles is not taking a break.

There are some reports saying that measles is “slowing down” which may be true. Since last week there have been ~43 new cases reported in the U.S., bringing the total to about 1,045 cases. Cases in Canada continue to grow, with 329 new cases since last week for a total of 1,506 cases. I don’t know a lot about the outbreak in Canada, but I have a sneaky suspicion that they might be better at accurately counting their cases than we are. Mexico is reporting 421 confirmed cases, 1,662 probable cases, and they have 431 pending tests. The 421 is the same case count for Mexico as last week, I haven’t been able to consistently find weekly updates for Mexico, but I am getting better at understanding their reports. As of today (May 15) there are no reported measles cases in Utah.

Measles Overview: Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through airborne droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a widespread rash. In severe cases, complications such as pneumonia, brain swelling, and even death can occur.

The most effective way to prevent measles is through vaccination. Receiving two doses of the MMR/MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, /varicella (chickenpox)) vaccine provides strong protection against the virus. One dose of MMR or MMRV vaccine is 93% effective against measles, and two doses are 97% effective. It takes the body about 14 days after receiving the vaccine to develop immunity to measles (7). If you are unsure about your vaccination status, you can access your UTAH records here

National Update: A measles outbreak starting in January is ongoing in the South Panhandle (Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas). This outbreak started in a Mennonite community in West Texas with low vaccination rates. As of May 15, the reported case count of that outbreak is 861 (27 new cases since last week). Weekly case counts seem to be slowing down slightly, however Oklahoma was the only state in that outbreak that did not report any new cases this week. Texas is reporting that among cases associated with the Panhandle outbreak, less then 10 cases are estimated to be actively infectious. Just a reminder, nearly all cases are unvaccinated, and over 70% are among children under 18. There have been 3 reported deaths in this Panhandle outbreak (and another death in Mexico).

In addition to the 861 reported cases from the South Panhandle outbreak, a total of 184 other measles cases have been reported in 2025. Cases now span across 31 states/jurisdictions. About half of these cases are linked to small outbreaks (defined as 3 or more related cases) that are also occurring in the U.S.

States that have reported new cases since Wednesday, May 7:

• Panhandle outbreak: Texas reported 15 new cases and 2 new hospitalizations, Kansas reported 8 new cases, New Mexico reported 4 new cases, and Oklahoma reported no new cases since last week.

• Arkansas has reported 2 new cases in Mississippi County, bringing their total to 6 cases.

• Illinois reported 2 new cases, for a total of 8. I couldn’t find any details about these two cases.

• Montana 1 new case in Gallatin County, bringing the total to 8 cases. All have been in Gallatin County.

• New York has reported 4 new cases: 3 in Orange County, all children with recent international travel, and 1 adult in Ontario County. 9 total cases have been reported in New York in 2025.

• North Dakota reported its first 10 cases last week in Williams County. They have not yet found a link between the 9 cases which is a bit concerning, meaning there are likely unidentified cases. This week they have reported 2 new cases in Cass County, both cases have a history of international travel and are unlikely connected to the Williams County cases. This brings their total to 12 cases.

• Ohio is reporting 1 new case in Cuyahoga County in an unvaccinated child. Keeping track of the case count in Ohio has been difficult but I believe it is around 40 total.

• Washington has reported 1 new case in a Canadian resident visiting the Seattle area. The list of exposure locations is large, so if you’ve visited the Seattle area between 4/30-5/3 you may want to take a look at the list online.

• Canada reported 329 new cases, most of which are in Ontario and linked to their ongoing outbreak.

Why this matters: In the U.S. there have been 1,045 reported cases of measles since the start of 2025. This is the 2nd highest case count since measles was declared eliminated in 2000 in the US (see graph below). It won’t be much longer until 2025 reports the largest number of measles cases since 1992.

How to use this information: Measles virus can remain active in the air for up to 2 hours after an infected person leaves the room. Because of this, exposure events can include many individuals, which is why health departments post information regarding specific locations and times where exposures may have occurred. How this dashboard information could be useful to you: 1. Check if you have recently visited any of the states listed 2. Check health department websites if you believe you were in an affected area

Utah & Summit County: As of this afternoon (May 15) there are no confirmed cases of measles in Utah or Summit County. For more information, please visit our website: (https://summitcountyhealth.org/measles/). For updates on measles in Utah, visit: https://epi.utah.gov/measles-response/

To schedule a time to get a MMR shot, please call any of our health department locations: Park City: 435-333-1512 Kamas: 435-783-3161 Coalville: 435-336-3234

Measles Information: CDC, California, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Canada, Mexico

• Due to reductions in federal communications, my numbers may be different than what is posted by CDC. Twice a week I gather updated cases counts from state health department websites in order to independently track cases counts.

Side Note: While you wait for the weekly updates to return, I invite you to check out the Summit County Community Health Assessment report—a yearlong project that I’m thrilled to finally share. This report offers insights that we hope will shape not only our public health programs but also support the work of other community groups. You can explore the full report here:

Measles May 7

Welcome to Between Two Graphs with Nancy Porter, your Summit County Epidemiologist. We are now in the Seasonal respiratory disease offseason, so this dashboard may look a little different than what you’re used to. Even though flu, RSV, and covid are on summer break (for now), unfortunately measles is not taking a break.

The U.S. has now crossed the “thousand cases” threshold. I don’t know if anyone else was waiting for that threshold, but I was. The measles situation in the US continues to grow and spread across North America with 1,002 cases in the US, 1,177 cases in Canada, and upwards of 421 cases in Mexico (I was able to find a better count of the Mexico cases this week from WHO).

Measles Overview: Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through airborne droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a widespread rash. In severe cases, complications such as pneumonia, brain swelling, and even death can occur.

The most effective way to prevent measles is through vaccination. Receiving two doses of the MMR/MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, /varicella (chickenpox)) vaccine provides strong protection against the virus. One dose of MMR or MMRV vaccine is 93% effective against measles, and two doses are 97% effective. It takes the body about 14 days after receiving the vaccine to develop immunity to measles (7). If you are unsure about your vaccination status, you can access your UTAH records here

National Update: A measles outbreak starting in January is ongoing in the South Panhandle (Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas). This outbreak started in a Mennonite community in West Texas with low vaccination rates. As of May 7, the reported case count of that outbreak is 834 (only 22 new cases since last week). Weekly case counts seem to be slowing, especially in New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Texas is reporting that among cases associated with the Panhandle outbreak, less then 10 cases are estimated to be actively infectious. Just a reminder, nearly all cases are unvaccinated, and over 70% are among children under 18. There have been 3 reported deaths in this Panhandle outbreak (and another death in Mexico).

In addition to the 834 reported cases from the South Panhandle outbreak, a total of 168 other measles cases have been reported in 2025. Cases now span across 31 states/jurisdictions. About half of these cases are linked to small outbreaks (defined as 3 or more related cases) that are also occurring in the U.S.

States that have reported new cases since Friday, May 2:

• Panhandle outbreak: 19 new cases in Texas, 1 new case in Oklahoma, 2 new cases in Kansas, and no new cases in New Mexico. • Texas has reported 2 new cases from same household in Fort Worth (unrelated to the Panhandle outbreak).

• California has reported 1 new case in LA, bringing their total to 11 cases.

• Missouri has reported a 3rd case, 2 of their cases are linked to an exposure at an aquarium.

• Illinois reported 3 new cases related to their first case which now makes it an official outbreak. The state has reported 6 cases in 2025.

• North Dakota is the newest state to report measles cases in 2025. They have reported 9 cases in Williams County. I believe all 9 cases are among unvaccinated school children.

• Canada reported 108 new cases, most of which are in Ontario.

• Mexico is reporting 421 cases in 2025, I am not sure how many of these are new over the past week, but it is an increase from their reported case count from the middle of April.

Why this matters: In the U.S. there have been 1,002 reported cases of measles since the start of 2025. This is the 2nd highest case count since measles was declared eliminated in 2000 in the US (see graph below). It won’t be much longer until 2025 reports the largest number of measles cases since 1992.

How to use this information: Measles virus can remain active in the air for up to 2 hours after an infected person leaves the room. Because of this, exposure events can include many individuals, which is why health departments post information regarding specific locations and times where exposures may have occurred. How this dashboard information could be useful to you: 1. Check if you have recently visited any of the states listed 2. Check health department websites if you believe you were in an affected area

Utah & Summit County: As of this afternoon (May 7) there are no confirmed cases of measles in Utah or Summit County. For more information, please visit our website: (https://summitcountyhealth.org/measles/). For updates on measles in Utah, visit: https://epi.utah.gov/measles-response/

To schedule a time to get a MMR shot, please call any of our health department locations: Park City: 435-333-1512 Kamas: 435-783-3161 Coalville: 435-336-3234

Measles Information: CDC, California, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Canada, Mexico

Measles May 2

Welcome to Between Two Graphs with Nancy Porter, your Summit County Epidemiologist. We are now in the seasonal respiratory disease offseason, so this dashboard may look a little different than what you’re used to. Even though flu, RSV, and covid are on summer break (for now), unfortunately measles is not taking a break. The measles situation in the US continues to grow and spread across North America with 963 cases in the US, 1,069 cases in Canada, and upwards of 786 cases in Mexico. *As of May 2, there are no measles cases in Utah.

Measles Overview: Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through airborne droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a widespread rash. In severe cases, complications such as pneumonia, brain swelling, and even death can occur.

The most effective way to prevent measles is through vaccination. Receiving two doses of the MMR/MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, /varicella (chickenpox)) vaccine provides strong protection against the virus. One dose of MMR or MMRV vaccine is 93% effective against measles, and two doses are 97% effective. It takes the body about 14 days after receiving the vaccine to develop immunity to measles (CDC). If you are unsure about your vaccination status, you can access your UTAH records here

National Measles Update: A measles outbreak starting in January is ongoing in the South Panhandle (Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas). This outbreak started in a Mennonite community in West Texas with low vaccination rates. As of May 2, the reported case count of that outbreak is 812 (73 new cases since last week. This is a slight increase to the previous week (+66), so hopefully it is not gaining a lot of steam for now). Nearly all cases are unvaccinated, and over 70% are among children under 18. There have been 4 reported deaths related to this outbreak, two unvaccinated children, and two unvaccinated adults (the two children were in Texas, 1 adult in New Mexico, and the other adult in Mexico).

In addition to the 812 reported cases from the South Panhandle outbreak, a total of 224 other measles cases have been reported in 2025 (cases have almost doubled since last week (+104)). Cases now span across 30 states. Nearly all of these cases are among unvaccinated individuals who had recently reported international travel to areas with known measles spread.

Several other small outbreaks (defined as 3 or more related cases) are also occurring in the U.S., of the 224 cases not associated with the South Panhandle outbreak, there have been outbreaks in 8 other states: (Georgia, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, and Montana). Additionally, Canada and Mexico are now seeing measles outbreaks related to the South Panhandle outbreak. Canada has reported 1,069 cases in 2025 (+189 cases since last week), with Ontario most affected with 924 cases. Reports from Mexico approximate the case count between 378-786 cases, and one death in an unvaccinated adult.

States that have reported new cases in the past week: Panhandle outbreak states (Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Oklahoma), Arkansas, California, Colorado, Illinois, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas (cases that are not linked to the ongoing outbreak have been reported in an adult in Austin, and an adult at West Texas A&M University). Of note, Arkansas is reporting a case that was locally acquired (not linked to international travel), and in Oklahoma, a case was reported within the Cherokee Nation Reservation.

Why this matters: In the U.S. there have been 963* reported cases of measles since the start of 2025. This is the 2nd highest case count since measles was declared eliminated in 2000 in the US (see graph below). It won’t be much longer until 2025 reports the largest number of measles cases since 1992.*The CDC reports 935 measles cases in 2025 (this is MUCH closer than what it was in the beginning of the year).

How to use this information: Measles virus can remain active in the air for up to 2 hours after an infected person leaves the room. Because of this, exposure events can include many individuals, which is why health departments post information regarding specific locations and times where exposures may have occurred. How this dashboard information could be useful to you: 1. Check if you have recently visited any of the states listed 2. Check health department websites if you believe you were in an affected area

Utah & Summit County: As of this afternoon (May 2) there are no confirmed cases of measles in Utah or Summit County. For more information, please visit our website: (https://summitcountyhealth.org/measles/). For updates on measles in Utah, visit: https://epi.utah.gov/measles-response/

To schedule a time to get a MMR shot, please call any of our health department locations: Park City: 435-333-1512 Kamas: 435-783-3161 Coalville: 435-336-3234

Measles Information: CDC, California, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Canada, Mexico

• Due to reductions in federal communications, my numbers may be different than what is posted by CDC. Twice a week I gather updated cases counts from state health department websites in order to independently track cases counts.

Side Note: While you wait for the weekly updates to return, I invite you to check out the Summit County Community Health Assessment report—a yearlong project that I’m thrilled to finally share. This report offers insights that we hope will shape not only our public health programs but also support the work of other community groups. You can explore the full report here:

April 23

Welcome to Between Two Graphs with Nancy Porter, your Summit County Epidemiologist. Since October, I’ve been sharing weekly updates on respiratory disease trends in Summit County—my personal take on what’s been happening, distilled from the data. Between 2 Graphs began this year as something of an experiment. I had a hunch that people were feeling overwhelmed by endless COVID charts and just wanted a clear, concise summary of what’s going on. That’s what I set out to provide, and I hope you’ve found it useful.

As the 2024–2025 seasonal respiratory disease season winds down, some parts of the dashboard will begin to enter “hibernation mode.” Next week’s update (April 30) will be the final weekly data update for the season. From May through September, respiratory disease data (flu, RSV, and COVID-19) will be updated monthly, with weekly reports resuming in October.

In the meantime, I’ll still provide weekly measles updates and any special reports as needed.

Quick Side Note: While you wait for the weekly updates to return, I invite you to check out the Summit County Community Health Assessment report—a yearlong project that I’m thrilled to finally share. This report offers insights that we hope will shape not only our public health programs but also support the work of other community groups. You can explore the full report here:

Thanks for following along this season!

Special Report - Measles update

Overview: Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through airborne droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a widespread rash. In severe cases, complications such as pneumonia, brain swelling, and even death can occur.

The most effective way to prevent measles is through vaccination. Receiving two doses of the MMR/MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, /varicella (chickenpox)) vaccine provides strong protection against the virus. One dose of MMR or MMRV vaccine is 93% effective against measles, and two doses are 97% effective. It takes the body about 14 days after receiving the vaccine to develop immunity to measles (CDC). If you are unsure about your vaccination status, you can access your UTAH records here

National Update: A measles outbreak starting in January is ongoing in the South Panhandle (Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas). This outbreak started in a Mennonite community in West Texas with low vaccination rates. As of April 23, the reported case count of that outbreak is 739 (66 new cases since last week. This is a very similar increase to the previous week, so hopefully it is not gaining a lot of steam for now). Nearly all cases are unvaccinated, and over 70% are among children under 18. There have been 4 reported deaths related to this outbreak, two unvaccinated children, and two unvaccinated adults (the two children were in Texas, 1 adult in New Mexico, and the other adult in Mexico).

In addition to the 739 reported cases from the South Panhandle outbreak, a total of 120 other measles cases have been reported in 2025 (21 new cases since last week). Cases now span across 28 states. Nearly all of these cases are among unvaccinated individuals who had recently reported international travel to areas with known measles spread.

Several other small outbreaks (defined as 3 or more related cases) are also occurring in the U.S., of the 120 cases not associated with the South Panhandle outbreak, there are outbreaks in 7 other states: (Georgia, New Jersey, Ohio, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Michigan). Additionally, Canada and Mexico are now seeing measles outbreaks related to the South Panhandle outbreak. Canada has reported 880 cases in 2025, with Ontario most affected with 804 cases. Reports from Mexico approximate the case count at 378, and one death in an unvaccinated adult. States that have reported new cases in the past week: Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Washington, Ohio, Tennessee, Michigan, Colorado, Minnesota, Hawaii, Indiana, Arkansas, Virginia, Missouri, and Louisiana.

Why this matters: In the U.S. there have been 859 reported cases of measles since the start of 2025. This is more than the annual total in 14 of the past 15 years, and we are only 4.5 months into the year (See graph below).

How to use this information: Measles virus can remain active in the air for up to 2 hours after an infected person leaves the room. Because of this, exposure events can include many individuals, which is why health departments post information regarding specific locations and times where exposures may have occurred. How this dashboard information could be useful to you: 1. Check if you have recently visited any of the states listed 2. Check health department websites if you believe you were in an affected area

Utah & Summit County: As of this afternoon (April 23) there are no confirmed cases of measles in Utah or Summit County. For more information, please visit our website: (https://summitcountyhealth.org/measles/). For updates on measles in Utah, visit: https://epi.utah.gov/measles-response/

To schedule a time to get a MMR shot, please call any of our health department locations: Park City: 435-333-1512 Kamas: 435-783-3161 Coalville: 435-336-3234

Measles Information: CDC, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Indiana, Michigan, California, Kentucky, New Jersey, Colorado, Minnesota, Missouri, Canada, Mexico

• Due to reductions in federal communications, my numbers may be different than what is posted by CDC. Twice a week I gather updated cases counts from state health department websites in order to independently track cases counts.

April 16

Welcome to Between Two Graphs with Nancy Porter, your Summit County Epidemiologist. Each week I will provide my take of what is going on with respiratory diseases in the county.

Last week I said that Summit County’s respiratory disease season was over, so of course this week we see a tiny bump in cases, nothing big, but I will continue to monitor to see which way it goes.

Nationally, flu season is officially over as outpatient influenza-like illness dropped below the 3% threshold. RSV and covid activity also remain quiet in the U.S. Same is true for Utah.

Special Report - Measles update Overview: Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through airborne droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a widespread rash. In severe cases, complications such as pneumonia, brain swelling, and even death can occur.

The most effective way to prevent measles is through vaccination. Receiving two doses of the MMR/MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, /varicella (chickenpox)) vaccine provides strong protection against the virus. One dose of MMR or MMRV vaccine is 93% effective against measles, and two doses are 97% effective. It takes the body about 14 days after receiving the vaccine to develop immunity to measles (7). If you are unsure about your vaccination status, you can access your UTAH records here

National Update: A measles outbreak starting in January is ongoing in the South Panhandle (Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas). This outbreak started in a Mennonite community in West Texas with low vaccination rates. As of April 16, the reported case count of that outbreak is 673 (65 new cases since last week + the 37 cases in Kansas (which is now officially part of the South Panhandle outbreak)). Nearly all cases are unvaccinated, and over 70% are among children. There have been 3 reported deaths related to this outbreak, two unvaccinated children, and one unvaccinated adult (8, 9). **Possibly 4 deaths, as 1 death was reported in Mexico in an unvaccinated adult and is likely linked to the Panhandle outbreak.

In addition to the 673 reported cases from the South Panhandle outbreak, a total of 99 other measles cases have been reported in 2025. Cases now span across 26 states. Nearly all of these cases are among unvaccinated individuals who had recently reported international travel to areas with known measles spread (10*).

Several other small outbreaks are also occurring in the U.S., of the 99 cases not associated with the South Panhandle outbreak, there are 6 other outbreaks in 2025 (GA, NJ, OH, TN, PA and IN). Of the 772 total cases reported in 2025, 94% are outbreak related. Additionally, Canada and Mexico are now seeing measles outbreaks related to the South Panhandle outbreak. Canada has reported 731 cases in 2025, with Ontario most affected with 656 cases. Reports from Mexico approximate the case count at 378 (and growing fast), and one death in an unvaccinated adult.

Why this matters: In the U.S. there have been 772 reported cases of measles since the start of 2025. This is more than the annual total in 14 of the past 15 years, and we are only 4.5 months into the year (10) (See graph below).

Utah & Summit County: As of this afternoon (April 16) there are no confirmed cases of measles in Utah or Summit County. For more information, please visit our website: (https://summitcountyhealth.org/measles/). For updates on measles in Utah, visit: https://epi.utah.gov/measles-response/

April 9

Welcome to Between Two Graphs with Nancy Porter, your Summit County Epidemiologist. Each week I will provide my take of what is going on with respiratory diseases in the county.

In Summit County, flu, RSV, and covid are at their lowest numbers since the start of respiratory disease season. I feel that it is safe to say that Summit County’s 2024-2025 seasonal respiratory disease season is over. Nationally, flu season is so close to being officially over, I give it another week or two before it is officially over. RSV is declining in the U.S., and covid wastewater concentrations are low to moderate. (1-6)

Special Report - Measles Update

Overview: Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through airborne droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a widespread rash. In severe cases, complications such as pneumonia, brain swelling, and even death can occur.

The most effective way to prevent measles is through vaccination. Receiving two doses of the MMR/MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, /varicella (chickenpox)) vaccine provides strong protection against the virus. One dose of MMR or MMRV vaccine is 93% effective against measles, and two doses are 97% effective. It takes the body about 14 days after receiving the vaccine to develop immunity to measles (7). If you are unsure about your vaccination status, you can access your UTAH records here

National Update: A measles outbreak starting in January is ongoing in the Southwest (Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma). This outbreak started in a Mennonite community in West Texas with low vaccination rates. As of April 9, the reported case count of that outbreak is 571 (91 new cases since last week), of which 56 have been hospitalized. Nearly all cases are unvaccinated, and over 70% are among children. There have been 3 reported deaths related to this outbreak, two unvaccinated children, and one unvaccinated adult (8, 9).

In addition to the 571 reported cases from the Southwest outbreak, a total of 120 (37 additional cases since last week) other measles cases have been reported in 2025. Cases now span across 24 states and Washington DC. Nearly all of these cases are among unvaccinated individuals who had recently reported international travel to areas with known measles spread (10*).

Several other small outbreaks are also occurring in the U.S., of the 120 cases not associated with the Southwest outbreak, there are 5 other outbreaks in 2025. Of the 691 total cases reported in 2025, 93% are outbreak related. Additionally, Canada and Mexico are now seeing measles outbreaks related to the Southwest outbreak. Ontario Canada is most affected with 655 cases and 52 hospitalizations, and reports from Mexico approximate the case count at 438.

Why this matters: In the U.S. there have been 691 reported cases of measles since the start of 2025. This is more than the annual total in 14 of the past 15 years, and we are only 4 months into the year (10) (See graph below).

Utah & Summit County: As of this afternoon (April 2) there are no confirmed cases of measles in Utah or Summit County. For more information, please visit our website: (https://summitcountyhealth.org/measles/). For updates on measles in Utah, visit: https://epi.utah.gov/measles-response/

To schedule a time to get a MMR shot, please call any of our health department locations: Park City: 435-333-1512 Kamas: 435-783-3161 Coalville: 435-336-3234

Sources: 1) Intermountain Health GermWatch 2) Utah Department of Health & Human Services (UDHHS) Respiratory disease surveillance dashboard 3) CDC FluView 4) National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System Dashboard 5) Utah Wastewater Surveillance System 6) WastewaterSCAN Dashboard 7) Texas DHS 8) Texas DHS 9) New Mexico DHS 10) CDC Measles Surveillance * Due to reductions in federal communications, my numbers may be different than what is posted by CDC. Twice a week I gather updated cases counts from state health department websites in order to independently track cases counts.

April 2

Welcome to Between Two Graphs with Nancy Porter, your Summit County Epidemiologist. Each week I will provide my take of what is going on with respiratory diseases in the county.

Flu: In Summit County, flu cases are at their lowest since the start of flu season in November (see flu chart below). It looks like we (Summit County) are out of flu season! In Utah, flu activity is declining. Doctor visits due to flu have continued to decrease as well as flu-associated hospitalizations (1, 2). Nationally, flu is declining, with 3.3% of doctor visits due to flu-like illness. The U.S. is getting very close to the official end of flu season (the national threshold for flu season is 3%) (3).

RSV: Locally, RSV cases have continued to drop, and we are most likely very close to the end of RSV season here in Summit County (see the RSV graph below). In Utah, RSV activity has dropped to moderate (1,6) as cases are continuing to decrease (2). Nationally, RSV activity is moderate with about 4.4% of tests being reported as positive for RSV down from 5.5% last week (4).

Covid: Last week, I was very excited to announce that no (laboratory tested) covid cases were reported for the first time since the start of the covid pandemic in 2020. However, there were a couple of cases that were reported a little late and showed up this week, but we are still really low! As of March 20th, wastewater concentrations are elevated and increasing in East Canyon, and in the watch category for Silver Creek. Coalville is very low and decreasing (5). The majority of WRF sites (74%) in Utah are reporting low or very low covid concentrations, with about 77% of sites low or very low, 14% reporting watch levels, and 9% elevated (5). Nationally, covid wastewater concentrations have decreased since last week and are at a moderate level with a downward trend in the last 21 days (low levels in the West, moderate levels in the Midwest and South, and high levels in the Northeast) (6). The percent of positive reported tests has been slowly declining and is at 3.6% (4).

Special Report - Measles Update

Overview: Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through airborne droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a widespread rash. In severe cases, complications such as pneumonia, brain swelling, and even death can occur.

The most effective way to prevent measles is through vaccination. Receiving two doses of the MMR/MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, /varicella (chickenpox)) vaccine provides strong protection against the virus. One dose of MMR or MMRV vaccine is 93% effective against measles, and two doses are 97% effective. It takes the body about 14 days after receiving the vaccine to develop immunity to measles (7). If you are unsure about your vaccination status, you can access your UTAH records here

National Update: A measles outbreak starting in January is ongoing in the Southwest (Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma). This outbreak started in a Mennonite community in West Texas with low vaccination rates. As of April 2, the reported case count of that outbreak is 480 (101 new cases since last week), of which 42 have been hospitalized. Nearly all cases are unvaccinated, and over 70% are among children. There have been 2 reported deaths related to this outbreak, one in an unvaccinated child, and the other in an unvaccinated adult (8, 9).

In addition to the 480 reported cases from the Southwest outbreak, a total of 83 (16 additional cases since last week) other measles cases have been reported in 2025. Cases now span across 19 states and Washington DC. Nearly all of these cases are among unvaccinated individuals who had recently reported international travel to areas with known measles spread (10*).

Several other small outbreaks are also occurring in the U.S., of the 83 cases not associated with the Southwest outbreak, there are 24 cases in Kansas, 13 cases in Ohio, and 6 cases in Pennsylvania. Kansas: In the middle of March, Kansas announced a possible measles outbreak, which has now grown to 24 cases (only 1 additional case reported since last week). Ohio: There is a small outbreak occurring in Ohio, which has a total of 13 cases, 10 of which are linked and 3 others that are linked (case investigations are still ongoing to determine linkage). Pennsylvania: A total of 6 cases have been reported since early March, and additional cases was recently identified that was linked to some of the earlier cases (case investigations still ongoing).

Why this matters: In the U.S. there have been 563 reported cases of measles since the start of 2025. This is more than the annual total in 13 of the past 15 years, and we are only 4 months into the year (10) (See graph below).

Utah & Summit County: As of this afternoon (April 2) there are no confirmed cases of measles in Utah or Summit County. For more information, please visit our website: (https://summitcountyhealth.org/measles/). For updates on measles in Utah, visit: https://epi.utah.gov/measles-response/

To schedule a time to get a MMR shot, please call any of our health department locations: Park City: 435-333-1512 Kamas: 435-783-3161 Coalville: 435-336-3234

Sources: 1) Intermountain Health GermWatch 2) Utah Department of Health & Human Services (UDHHS) Respiratory disease surveillance dashboard 3) CDC FluView 4) National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System Dashboard 5) Utah Wastewater Surveillance System 6) WastewaterSCAN Dashboard 7) Texas DHS 8) Texas DHS 9) New Mexico DHS 10) CDC Measles Surveillance * Due to reductions in federal communications, my numbers may be different than what is posted by CDC. Twice a week I gather updated cases counts from state health department websites in order to independently track cases counts.

March 26

Welcome to Between Two Graphs with Nancy Porter, your Summit County Epidemiologist. Each week I will provide my take of what is going on with respiratory diseases in the county.

Flu: IIn Summit County, flu cases are at their lowest since the start of flu season in November (see Flu chart below). It looks like we are out of flu season! In Utah, flu activity is declining. Doctor visits due to flu have continued to decrease as well as flu-associated hospitalizations (1, 2). Nationally, flu is declining, with 3.9% of doctor visits due to flu-like illness (the decline is slightly slower than previous weeks, but still better than last week’s 4.3%). The threshold for flu season is 3%, so it seems that we are getting closer to the end of flu season (3).

RSV: Locally, RSV cases have continued to drop, and we are most likely very close to the end of RSC season here in Summit County (see the RSV graph below). In Utah, RSV activity has dropped to moderate (1,6) as cases are continuing to decrease (2). Nationally, RSV activity is moderate with about 5.5% of tests being reported as positive for RSV down from 5.7% last week (4).

Covid: No Covid cases were reported last week in Summit County (we have gotten close to this before, but this is the first week that there have been no reported Covid cases (lab tests) since the start of Covid in 2020. The first case in Utah was reported on Feb. 12th 2020, and a month later the first case was reported in Summit County. It has been a long 5 years! This does not mean that Covid has gone away, it’s still out there, but this marks an important milestone. The Covid virus has changed a lot over the past 5 years, and so have we. We have better immunity, and the virus has become a bit milder, and is now thought of as a seasonal respiratory virus.

That being said, we still have Covid concentrations in our wastewater. As of March 18th, concentrations are in the watch category and increasing in Coalville. Silver Creek is low and East Canyon is elevated (5). The majority of WRF sites (74%) in Utah are reporting low or very low Covid concentrations, with about 20% of sites reporting watch levels, and 6% elevated (5). Nationally, Covid wastewater concentrations are at a high level with an upward trend in the last 21 days (low levels in the West, moderate levels in the Midwest and South, and high levels in the Northeast) (6). The percent of positive reported tests has been slowly declining and is at 3.4% (4).

Special Report - Measles Update

Overview: Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through airborne droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a widespread rash. In severe cases, complications such as pneumonia, brain swelling, and even death can occur.

The most effective way to prevent measles is through vaccination. Receiving two doses of the MMR/MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, /varicella (chickenpox)) vaccine provides strong protection against the virus. One dose of MMR or MMRV vaccine is 93% effective against measles, and two doses are 97% effective. It takes the body about 14 days after receiving the vaccine to develop immunity to measles (7). If you are unsure about your vaccination status, you can access your UTAH records here

A measles outbreak starting in January is ongoing in the Southwest (Texas, New Mexico, and now Oklahoma). This outbreak started in a Mennonite community in West Texas with low vaccination rates. As of March 25, the reported case count of that outbreak is 379 (58 new cases since last week), of which 40 have been hospitalized. Nearly all cases are unvaccinated, and 70% are among children. There have been 2 reported deaths related to this outbreak, one in an unvaccinated child, and the other in an unvaccinated adult (8, 9).

In addition to the 379 reported cases from the Southwest outbreak, a total of 67 (33 additional cases since last week) other measles cases have been reported in 2025. Cases now span across 19 states and Washington DC. Nearly all of these cases are among unvaccinated individuals who had recently reported international travel to areas with known measles spread (10*). Included in the 67 cases not associated with the Southwest outbreak, are 23 cases in Kansas. In the middle of March, Kansas announced a possible measles outbreak, which has now grown to 23 cases (13 additional cases reported in last week).

Why this matters: In the U.S. there have been 446 reported cases of measles since the start of 2025. This is more than the annual total in 13 of the past 15 years, and we are only 3.5 months into the year (10) (See graph below).

Utah & Summit County: As of this afternoon (March 26) there are no confirmed cases of measles in Utah or Summit County. For more information, please visit our website: (https://summitcountyhealth.org/measles/). For updates on measles in Utah, visit: https://epi.utah.gov/measles-response/

To schedule a time to get a MMR shot, please call any of our health department locations: Park City: 435-333-1512 Kamas: 435-783-3161 Coalville: 435-336-3234

Sources: 1) Intermountain Health GermWatch 2) Utah Department of Health & Human Services (UDHHS) Respiratory disease surveillance dashboard 3) CDC FluView 4) National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System Dashboard 5) Utah Wastewater Surveillance System 6) WastewaterSCAN Dashboard 7) Texas DHS 8) Texas DHS 9) New Mexico DHS 10) CDC Measles Surveillance * Due to reductions in federal communications, my numbers may be different than what is posted by CDC. Twice a week I gather updated cases counts from state health department websites in order to independently track cases counts.

March 19

Welcome to Between Two Graphs with Nancy Porter, your Summit County Epidemiologist. Each week I will provide my take of what is going on with respiratory diseases in the county.

Flu: In Summit County, flu cases have been decreasing since February 1st, last week we saw that decline starting to slow a bit, but thankfully this week it looks like cases have continued to decrease (see Flu chart below). In Utah, flu activity is declining. Doctor visits due to flu have continued to decrease as well as flu-associated hospitalizations (1, 2). Nationally, flu is declining, with 4.3% of doctor visits due to flu-like illness (the decline is slightly slower than previous weeks, but still better than last week’s 4.9%). The threshold for flu season is 3%, so it seems that we are getting closer to the end of flu season (3).

RSV: Locally, RSV have continued to decrease since the beginning of March (see the RSV graph below). In Utah, RSV activity is still high (1,6), however, cases are decreasing in Utah (2). Nationally, RSV activity is moderate with about 5.8% of tests being reported as positive for RSV down from 6.5% last week (4).

Covid: Covid-19 concentrations in the wastewater (as of March 6th) are very low in Coalville, and low in Silver Creek and East Canyon (5). The majority of WRF sites (69%) in Utah are reporting low or very low Covid concentrations, with about 26% of sites reporting watch levels, and 6% elevated (5). Nationally, Covid-19 wastewater concentrations are at a moderate level (moderate levels in the West and high levels in the other regions) – the trend has remained the same for the past couple weeks (6). The percent of positive reported tests has been slowly declining and is at 3.8% (4).

Special Report - Measles Update

Overview: Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through airborne droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a widespread rash. In severe cases, complications such as pneumonia, brain swelling, and even death can occur.

The most effective way to prevent measles is through vaccination. Receiving two doses of the MMR/MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella, /varicella (chickenpox)) vaccine provides strong protection against the virus. One dose of MMR or MMRV vaccine is 93% effective against measles, and two doses are 97% effective. It takes the body about 14 days after receiving the vaccine to develop immunity to measles (7). If you are unsure about your vaccination status, you can access your UTAH records here

National Update: A measles outbreak starting in January is ongoing in the Southwest (Texas, New Mexico, and now Oklahoma). This outbreak started in a Mennonite community in West Texas with low vaccination rates. As of March 18, the reported case count of that outbreak is 321, of which 38 have been hospitalized. Nearly all cases are unvaccinated, and 70% are among children. There have been 2 reported deaths related to this outbreak, one in an unvaccinated child, and the other in an unvaccinated adult (8, 9).

In addition to the 321 reported cases from the Southwest outbreak, a total of 34 other measles cases have been reported in 2025 across 14 other states (17 states total). Nearly all of these cases are among unvaccinated individuals who had recently reported international travel to areas with known measles spread (10*).

Why this matters: In the U.S. there have been 355 reported cases of measles since the start of 2025. This is more than the annual total in 12 of the past 15 years, and we are only 3.5 months into the year (10).

Utah & Summit County: As of this afternoon (March 20) there are no confirmed cases of measles in Utah or Summit County. For more information, please visit our website: (https://summitcountyhealth.org/measles/)

To schedule a time to get a MMR shot, please call any of our health department locations: Park City: 435-333-1512 Kamas: 435-783-3161 Coalville: 435-336-3234

Sources: 1) Intermountain Health GermWatch 2) Utah Department of Health & Human Services (UDHHS) Respiratory disease surveillance dashboard 3) CDC FluView 4) National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System Dashboard 5) Utah Wastewater Surveillance System 6) WastewaterSCAN Dashboard 7) Texas DHS 8) Texas DHS 9) New Mexico DHS 10) CDC Measles Surveillance * Due to reductions in federal communications, my numbers may be different than what is posted by CDC. Twice a week I gather updated cases counts from state health department websites in order to independently track cases counts.

March 12

Welcome to Between Two Graphs with Nancy Porter, your Summit County Epidemiologist. Each week I will provide my take of what is going on with respiratory diseases in the county.

Flu: In Summit County, flu cases have been decreasing since February 1st, the nosedive that we were seeing flattened off last week staying in the low 20’s two weeks in a row (see flu chart below). In Utah, flu activity is declining. Doctor visits due to flu have continued to decrease as well as flu-associated hospitalizations (1, 2). Nationally, flu is declining, with 4.9% of doctor visits due to flu-like illness (much better than last week’s 5.8%). The threshold for flu season is 3%, so it seems that we are getting closer to the end of flu season (3).

RSV: Locally, RSV cases decreased slightly last week after an increase the week before (see the RSV graph below). In Utah, RSV activity is still high (1,6). Nationally, RSV activity is moderate with about 6.5% of tests being reported as positive for RSV (for reference, at the height of RSV activity this year, 11% of reported tests were positive) (4).

Covid: Covid-19 concentrations in the wastewater (as of March 4th) are very low in Coalville, and low in Silver Creek and East Canyon (5). The majority of WRF sites (69%) in Utah are reporting low or very low Covid concentrations, with about 26% of sites reporting watch levels, and 6% elevated (5). Nationally, Covid-19 wastewater concentrations are at a moderate level (low levels in the West and high levels in the Midwest) – this is the same as last week (6).

Special Report - Measles Update

Overview: Measles is a highly contagious virus that spreads through airborne droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, and a widespread rash. In severe cases, complications such as pneumonia, brain swelling, and even death can occur.

The most effective way to prevent measles is through vaccination. Receiving two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine provides strong protection against the virus. If you are unsure about your vaccination status, you can access your UTAH records here

National Update: A measles outbreak starting in January is ongoing in Texas and New Mexico. As of March 11, the reported case count of that outbreak is 256. Nearly all these cases are among non-vaccinated children (7, 8), and 30 cases have been hospitalized. There have been 2 reported deaths related to this outbreak, one in an unvaccinated child, and the other in an unvaccinated adult.

In addition to the 256 reported cases from the Texas and New Mexico outbreak, a total of 26 other measles cases have been reported in 2025 across 13 other states. Nearly all of these cases are among unvaccinated individuals who had recently reported international travel to areas with known measles spread.

Utah & Summit County: As of this afternoon (March 12) there are no confirmed cases of measles in Utah or Summit County. For more information please visit our website: (https://summitcountyhealth.org/measles/)

Sources: 1) Intermountain Health GermWatch 2) Utah Department of Health & Human Services (UDHHS) Respiratory disease surveillance dashboard 3) CDC FluView 4) National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System Dashboard 5) Utah Wastewater Surveillance System 6) WastewaterSCAN Dashboard 7) Texas DHS 8) New Mexico DHS 9) Memorial Sloan Kettering

March 5

In Summit County, flu cases have been decreasing since February 1st (see Flu chart below). In Utah, Flu activity in Utah is moderate to high, with flu-associated hospitalizations low (1, 2). Nationally, Flu is still up, but Flu trends are continuing to decrease after that second flu spike we all saw in January (3).

Locally, RSV cases went up slightly compared to the past 3 weeks (see the RSV Cases by Season graph below). In Utah, RSV activity is high (1,6). Nationally, RSV activity is slowly declining with 7% of tests being reported as positive for RSV (4).

Covid-19 concentrations in the wastewater (as of February 27th) are very low in Coalville, low in Silver Creek, and elevated in East Canyon (5). 66% of the WRF sites in Utah are reporting low or very low Covid concentrations, with about 20% of sites reporting watch levels, and 14% elevated or very elevated (5). Nationally, Covid-19 wastewater concentrations are at a moderate level (low levels in the West and high levels in the Midwest) (6).

Sources: 1) Intermountain Health GermWatch 2) Utah Department of Health & Human Services (UDHHS) Respiratory disease surveillance dashboard 3) CDC FluView 4) National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System Dashboard 5) Utah Wastewater Surveillance System 6) WastewaterSCAN Dashboard

Feb 27

Welcome to Between 2 Graphs with Nancy Porter, your Summit County Epidemiologist. Each week I will provide my take of what is going on with respiratory diseases in the county.

In Summit County, flu cases have been decreasing since February 1st (see Flu chart below). Flu activity in Utah is low to moderate according to UDHHS’s dashboard (2). National flu trends are starting to decrease after that second flu spike we all saw in January (3).

Locally, RSV appears to be staying in a moderate zone of less than 10 cases a week (see the RSV Cases by Season graph below). In Utah, RSV activity is high (1,6). Nationally, RSV activity is slowly declining with 6.6% of tests being reported as positive for RSV (4).

Covid-19 concentrations in the wastewater (as of February 20th) are low in Coalville, very elevated and increasing in East Canyon, and elevated In Silver Creek (5). Half of the WRF sites in Utah are reporting low or very low Covid concentrations, with about 30% of sites reporting watch levels, and 17% elevated or very elevated (5). Nationally, Covid-19 wastewater concentrations are at a moderate level (high levels in the Midwest and Northeast) (6).

In Summit County (and most places), norovirus data is not as prevalent as we would like since not many people get tested for it. We have had some new cases reported in the last week, but it seems like it is slowing down (see the Norovirus tab above). In Utah, norovirus activity remains high (1). There are two wastewater districts in UT that test for norovirus (Central Salt Lake Valley and Provo WRFs), they are both reporting high concentrations of norovirus (6). In the West, norovirus is moderate, with ~18% of tests positive; Nationally, norovirus remains high with ~23% of tests positive (4).

Sources: 1) Intermountain Health GermWatch 2) Utah Department of Health & Human Services (UDHHS) Respiratory disease surveillance dashboard 3) CDC FluView 4) National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System Dashboard 5) Utah Wastewater Surveillance System 6) WastewaterSCAN Dashboard

Feb 5

In Summit County, flu cases have continued to increase with 73 cases reported this past week (see Flu chart below). Nearly every age group is represented among these flu cases, so just stay home if you’re not feeling well, this second flu spike is not discriminating against age. In Utah, IHC is reporting high flu activity (1). The CDC’s weekly influenza surveillance report has not been updated in 12 days due to compliance with Executive Orders. Therefore, I will rely on the work of other epidemiologists who have compiled data from state health department websites. Apparently, the 2nd flu spike is not unique to us, the rest of the US is also seeing a 2nd spike in flu cases. There have been a few other years with a double peak, but not many with a 2nd peak as high as this one (3).

Locally, RSV appears to be starting to level off, with similar numbers of new cases being reported for the past few weeks (see the RSV Cases by Season graph below). In Utah, RSV activity is high (1,6). Nationally, RSV activity is slowly declining with 7.6% of tests being reported as positive for RSV (4).

Covid-19 concentrations in the wastewater (as of February 27) are low in Coalville, watch level in East Canyon, and very elevated In Silver Creek (5). Most sites in Utah are reporting low Covid concentrations, with only a couple sites reporting intermediate (watch) levels (5). Nationally, Covid-19 wastewater concentrations are high (mostly in the Midwest and the Northeast, the West and the South are reporting medium levels) (6).

In Summit County (and most places), norovirus data is not as prevalent as we would like since not many people get tested for it. We have not had any new reported cases for a few weeks. However, we know it is here and encourage the community to take proper precaution to protect yourself. In Utah, norovirus activity remains high (1). There are two wastewater districts in UT that test for norovirus (Central Salt Lake Valley and Provo WRFs), they are both reporting high concentrations of norovirus (6). In the West, norovirus is starting to trend down, with only 15% of tests positive; Nationally, norovirus remains high with 21.5% of tests positive (4).

Sources: 1) Intermountain Health GermWatch 2) Utah Department of Health & Human Services (UDHHS) Respiratory disease surveillance dashboard 3) Caitlin Rivers 4) National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System Dashboard 5) Utah Wastewater Surveillance System 6) WastewaterSCAN Dashboard

Jan 29

In Summit County, flu cases have continued to increase with 56 cases reported this past week; about a third of those cases were among those aged 0-10 years of age, and about 40% were aged 25-64 years (check out the Flu tab to see case counts by age). Flu activity in Utah is also increasing according to UDHHS’s dashboard (1). Our neighboring counties have moderate or high influenza-like-illness (ILI) activity, however, ILI activity in Summit is minimal. Nationally, according to CDC’s FluView, seasonal influenza remains elevated and is increasing in most areas. Of those getting tested for flu, 25% of those were positive tests (2).

Locally, RSV cases have continued to increase since the beginning of January (see the RSV Cases by Season graph below). Even with this increase, RSV cases are still lower than they were at this time last year (RSV Cumulative Cases by Season graph). RSV numbers have not recently been updated at the National level, which also impacts reporting at the state level so I am unable at this time to determine the state and national RSV weekly trends.

*updated 1/30/25: Our covid-19 wastewater concentrations are low at all three Summit County WRFs, as are 69% of the WRFs in Utah (3). Nationally, covid wastewater concentrations are high (as of Jan. 11) (4).

In Summit County, norovirus is present in the community. Given the lack of testing and data, our trend analysis for norovirus is not statistically significant, even when looking at a 2-week trend. However, we know it is here and encourage the community to take proper precaution to protect yourself. I have added a graph of cumulative norovirus cases by season, check it out in the top tab. Given the low case counts/low testing, one way to use this data is that the trend may be representative of the virus in the community. In Utah, norovirus activity is high (5,6). There are two wastewater districts in UT that test for norovirus (Central Salt Lake Valley and Provo WRFs), they are both reporting high concentrations of norovirus (5). Nationally, norovirus is also high; 23% of tests were positive according to the National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS) (7).

The increase in norovirus activity this year may be due to a new strain of norovirus that is circulating. The new strain isn’t making people more sick than before, just not many people have been exposed to it before so it is making more people sick. Best thing you can do is wash your hands! Soap and water is best, as hand sanitizer is not quite as effective with norovirus.

Sources: 1) Utah Department of Health & Human Services (UDHHS) Respiratory disease surveillance dashboard 2) CDC FluView 3) Utah Wastewater Surveillance System 4) CDC Covid Data Tracker 5) WastewaterSCAN Dashboard 6) Intermountain Health GermWatch 7) National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System Dashboard

Jan 22

We had a slight dip in Flu cases two weeks ago, with cases going back up slightly this week (still slightly below our peak from early January). I think we may continue to see some ups and downs with our flu cases here in Summit for a couple more weeks. Nationally (and in the West), flu is activity is starting to drop, which is a good sign that our rates are most likely also on the decline. Across the state, flu hospitalizations are declining, as the weekly number of flu-associated hospitalizations has crossed down into the moderate level. Here in Summit County flu severity is reasonably low, with less than 11 flu-associated hospitalizations last week.

RSV cases have continued to increase since last week, indicating we may be in the middle of a seasonal spike (especially for those in the 0-4 age group). In the state & Nationally, RSV cases have declined slightly since last week. Hopefully we start to see that decrease in Summit soon.

Covid-19 wastewater concentrations have continued to decrease across the state. Here in Summit Covid-19 cases remain low. Coalville’s Covid-19 concentrations were below the reporting limit, and East Canyon and Silver Creek’s concentrations were also in the low category. Nationally, Covid-19 wastewater concentrations are high, mostly in the Midwest, with the West reporting lower rates than the rest of the country.

In addition to the respiratory viruses that I normally report on here, I wanted to add a little update about Norovirus. Norovirus is commonly referred to as the “stomach flu” even though it is not related to the flu at all. Norovirus season is typically between November and April. Norovirus is very contagious and causes vomiting and diarrhea. Anyone can get it, most people get better within 1 to 3 days, but you can still spread the virus for a few days after. Norovirus spreads through the fecal-oral route (gross, I know); which can be as simple as touching a contaminated surface and then touching your mouth or eating contaminated foods. The best thing to do to protect yourself and others is to WASH YOUR HANDS!

Nationally, norovirus rates are up and have continued to rise. We are currently in the middle of a large wave that is much higher than it has been for the past 5 years. The same is true for Summit County; reported cases are much higher at this point than they have been for over 5 years. Part of the high rates this year may be due to a new strain of norovirus that is circulating. The new strain isn’t making people more sick than before, just not many people have been exposed to it before so it is making more people sick. Best thing you can do is wash your hands! Soap and water is best, as hand sanitizer is not quite as effective with norovirus.

Jan 15

Flu cases have decreased slightly since last week, however, I don’t believe we are out of the woods just quite yet. Nationally, flu is currently in peak season, so I think we may continue to see some ups and downs with our flu cases here in Summit. Cumulatively, our flu cases are lower than this time last year, but part of that is due to our spike occurring about 2 weeks later than last year (much closer to pre-pandemic timing). Across the state, flu severity is up, as the weekly number of flu-associated hospitalizations has crossed into the high level. Here in Summit County the flu severity is not quite as high as some parts of the state and our bordering counties, so hopefully it stays that way.

In the state, RSV cases are slightly increasing, mostly in that 0-4 age group. We are also seeing that same increase here in Summit County. Our RSV cases are occurring in that 0-4 age group as well as in adults 45-84 years of age.

COVID-19 wastewater concentrations have decreased across the state. Here in Summit, Coalville’s COVID concentrations are low and decreasing, East Canyon’s concentrations are also in the low category, and Silver Creek’s concentrations are in the watch category. The 13-day trend for the WRFs in the Snyderville Basin is indeterminate, so we will have to wait and see which way they go.

In addition to the respiratory viruses that I normally report on here, I wanted to add a little update about Norovirus. Norovirus is commonly referred to as the “stomach flu” even though it is not related to the flu at all. Norovirus season is typically between November and April. Norovirus is very contagious and causes vomiting and diarrhea. Anyone can get it, most people get better within 1 to 3 days, but you can still spread the virus for a few days after. Norovirus spreads through the fecal-oral route (gross, I know); which can be as simple as touching a contaminated surface and then touching your mouth or eating contaminated foods. The best thing to do to protect yourself and others is to WASH YOUR HANDS!

Jan 2

Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed their holiday and is happily welcoming 2025.

It looks like we are coming into 2025 with an increase of flu cases (as expected). This season’s flu cases started to increase around the middle of December, about a week later than last season, and are expected to continue increasing over the next few weeks. The bulk of the reported flu cases that we are seeing are in adults, especially those 45 to 84. If you’re not feeling well, just stay home.

RSV cases are seasonally low with a slight increase, but very low compared to the past three seasons.

COVID wastewater is low or in the watch category as of December 19th. This is similar for most of the state right now. On the last Between 2 graphs post, I had mentioned that there were some indicators of increases that may be soon to come. Surrounding states have been reporting some moderate to high COVID-19 wastewater concentrations. We will continue to monitor our COVID-19 wastewater levels.

Dec 18

Overall, respiratory disease activity is starting to increase just in time for the holidays.

Flu activity is starting to increase in Summit County as well as across the state. There is still time to get your flu vaccine!*

RSV cases are starting to increase; however, case counts are low. This is true for the rest of the U.S. as well. Activity is starting to increase, but it is off to a slower start than previous years.

COVID cases are starting to increase as seen by increase in wastewater concentrations in Summit County. Specifically, Silver Creek WRF reporting an increasing trend in covid concentration levels with an elevated concentration. Coalville WRF has moved into the watch category with an increasing trend as well. East Canyon WRF remains low with no discernable trend in the past 13-days. There are indicators of increases that may be soon to come. Surrounding states are reporting some moderate to high COVID-19 wastewater concentrations.

General rule of thumb, if you’re not feeling well, stay home (or put a mask on).

Dec 10

Overall, respiratory disease activity continues to remain low, so I will keep this short.

Flu activity is starting to increase (very slowly, but still an increase). Flu activity in the Mountain West is still relatively low in comparison to peak flu season. There is still time to get your flu vaccine!*

RSV cases are starting to increase; however, case counts are low. This is true for the rest of the U.S. as well. Activity is starting to increase, but it is off to a slower start than previous years.

COVID cases (reported by laboratory testing) are low. Wastewater concentrations remain low in Summit County, as well as across the state and nationally. There are indicators of increases that may be soon to come. Surrounding states are reporting some moderate to high COVID-19 wastewater concentrations.

General rule of thumb, if you’re not feeling well, stay home (or put a mask on).

Dec 2

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! With the kick-off to the holidays officially underway, respiratory season here in Summit County is creeping up. Flu is looking very similar to last year. If it stays on track with last year, we will see slight increases over the next couple of weeks before it takes off about half-way through December. Nationwide, influenza-like illness (ILI) is starting to increase, but still below the 3% threshold that indicates the official beginning of flu season.

RSV & COVID remain low in Summit County. COVID-19 concentrations in the wastewater are low from all 3 wastewater districts and the 13-day trend is at a plateau. The most recent wastewater readings are from November 21, so we will keep an eye on those and see if the Thanksgiving holiday changes anything. Nationwide, COVID-19 wastewater concentrations are fairly low and quiet and RSV activity is also low across the country.

Nov 18

Respiratory disease season has begun. Case counts remain low. This is a good sign that we are getting back to pre-COVID seasonality. Seasonality refers to the times of year when certain respiratory diseases spread at high levels. In the United States, this is typically from October to May with peak activity between December and February. When respiratory diseases follow the “expected” patterns, it allows us to better anticipate what is coming. Since 2020, respiratory disease seasonality has been a bit out of whack, but we are slowly starting to see the expected patterns return.

We are less than 2 weeks away from Thanksgiving. There is still time to get your flu and covid shots before you gather around the table with family and friends! Respiratory diseases don’t make great side dishes.

Flu season is starting to make an appearance. We are starting to look a bit more like the 2019-2020 season, with a slow gradual increase. Hopefully it stays that way rather than the steep increase in cases we saw the past two seasons.

RSV activity is still low for the 2024-2025 season. Last year was a fairly mild RSV season, with the total number of cases being lower than the past two seasons. Part of this decrease may be due to the new RSV vaccine that came out last year. For information on who can get this, please check out the resources tab up top and chat with your primary care physician to see if its right for you. Compared to Flu, RSV season tends to start a little earlier in November. I hope with the continued uptake of the RSV vaccine, we will continue to see lower RSV rates than previous seasons.

COVID wastewater concentrations have remained low since the end of the summer. We are starting to see some increasing trends across the state as well as the Silver Creek watershed. We will keep an eye on the wastewater and see which way the trend moves.

*As always, please talk to your healthcare provider about when to get vaccinated, and which vaccinations are right for you.

Nov 14

Respiratory disease season has begun. Case counts are still very low, and lower than this time last year (and the past 3 years). This is a good sign that we are getting back to pre-COVID seasonality. Seasonality refers to the times of year when certain respiratory diseases spread at high levels. In the United States, this is typically from October to May with peak activity between December and February. When respiratory diseases follow the “expected” patterns, it allows us to better anticipate what is coming. Since 2020, respiratory disease seasonality has been a bit out of whack, but we are slowly starting to see the expected patterns return.

This weeks report is very similar to the last 2 weeks. Cases are low, there is still time to get your flu and covid shots!*

Summit County has 10 laboratory reported cases of seasonal influenza so far. Flu season is coming. It is time to go get that Flu shot before the season starts to take off! Looking back at last Flu season, it was one of the biggest we have had in the past 5 years. Last season, Flu kicked off in mid-November, a little later than the previous season (and closer to pre-pandemic timing). The past two seasons we have seen Flu cases peak around mid-December (probably because we are all gathering with family and friends to celebrate the holiday season). We will have to wait and see what this season brings, but I think that it will be similar to the past two years.

RSV activity is still low for the 2024-2025 season. Last year was a fairly mild RSV season, with the total number of cases being lower than the past two seasons. Part of this decrease may be due to the new RSV vaccine that came out last year. For information on who can get this, please check out the resources tab up top and chat with your primary care physician to see if its right for you. Compared to Flu, RSV season tends to start a little earlier in November. I hope with the continued uptake of the RSV vaccine, we will continue to see lower RSV rates than previous seasons.

In with the snow and out with the “summer wave” of COVID-19. COVID wastewater concentrations have return to low from all three watersheds after elevated levels for most of the summer. If you escaped the “summer wave” without getting COIVD, then you may want to think about getting a COVID vaccine when you go in and get your Flu shot. If you have recently gotten COVID, then you may want to wait a few months or so to get the COVID vaccine.

*As always, please talk to your healthcare provider about when to get vaccinated, and which vaccinations are right for you.

Nov 12

Respiratory disease season has begun. Case counts are still very low, and lower than this time last year (and the past 3 years). This is a good sign that we are getting back to pre-COVID seasonality. Seasonality refers to the times of year when certain respiratory diseases spread at high levels. In the United States, this is typically from October to May with peak activity between December and February. When respiratory diseases follow the “expected” patterns, it allows us to better anticipate what is coming. Since 2020, respiratory disease seasonality has been a bit out of whack, but we are slowly starting to see the expected patterns return.

This weeks report is very similar to the last 2 weeks. Cases are low, there is still time to get your flu and covid shots!*

Summit County has 10 laboratory reported cases of seasonal influenza so far. Flu season is coming. It is time to go get that Flu shot before the season starts to take off! Looking back at last Flu season, it was one of the biggest we have had in the past 5 years. Last season, Flu kicked off in mid-November, a little later than the previous season (and closer to pre-pandemic timing). The past two seasons we have seen Flu cases peak around mid-December (probably because we are all gathering with family and friends to celebrate the holiday season). We will have to wait and see what this season brings, but I think that it will be similar to the past two years.

RSV activity is still low for the 2024-2025 season. Last year was a fairly mild RSV season, with the total number of cases being lower than the past two seasons. Part of this decrease may be due to the new RSV vaccine that came out last year. For information on who can get this, please check out the resources tab up top and chat with your primary care physician to see if its right for you. Compared to Flu, RSV season tends to start a little earlier in November. I hope with the continued uptake of the RSV vaccine, we will continue to see lower RSV rates than previous seasons.

In with the snow and out with the “summer wave” of COVID-19. COVID wastewater concentrations have return to low from all three watersheds after elevated levels for most of the summer. If you escaped the “summer wave” without getting COIVD, then you may want to think about getting a COVID vaccine when you go in and get your Flu shot. If you have recently gotten COVID, then you may want to wait a few months or so to get the COVID vaccine.

*As always, please talk to your healthcare provider about when to get vaccinated, and which vaccinations are right for you.

Nov 4

Respiratory disease season has begun. Case counts are still very low, and lower than this time last year (and the past 3 years). This is a good sign that we are getting back to pre-COVID seasonality. Seasonality refers to the times of year when certain respiratory diseases spread at high levels. In the United States, this is typically from October to May with peak activity between December and February. When respiratory diseases follow the “expected” patterns, it allows us to better anticipate what is coming. Since 2020, respiratory disease seasonality has been a bit out of whack, but we are slowly starting to see the expected patterns return.

This weeks report is very similar to last week. Cases are low, there is still time to get your flu and covid shots!*

Summit County has only 2 laboratory reported cases of seasonal influenza so far. Flu season is coming. It is time to go get that Flu shot before the season starts to take off! Looking back at last Flu season, it was one of the biggest we have had in the past 5 years. Last season, Flu kicked off in mid-November, a little later than the previous season (and closer to pre-pandemic timing). The past two seasons we have seen Flu cases peak around mid-December (probably because we are all gathering with family and friends to celebrate the holiday season). We will have to wait and see what this season brings, but I think that it will be similar to the past two years.

RSV activity is still low for the 2024-2025 season. Last year was a fairly mild RSV season, with the total number of cases being lower than the past two seasons. Part of this decrease may be due to the new RSV vaccine that came out last year. For information on who can get this, please check out the resources tab up top and chat with your primary care physician to see if its right for you. Compared to Flu, RSV season tends to start a little earlier in November. I hope with the continued uptake of the RSV vaccine, we will continue to see lower RSV rates than previous seasons.

In with the snow and out with the “summer wave” of COVID-19. COVID wastewater concentrations have return to low from all three watersheds after elevated levels for most of the summer. If you escaped the “summer wave” without getting COIVD, then you may want to think about getting a COVID vaccine when you go in and get your Flu shot. If you have recently gotten COVID, then you may want to wait a few months or so to get the COVID vaccine.

*As always, please talk to your healthcare provider about when to get vaccinated, and which vaccinations are right for you.

Oct 29

Flu season is coming. It is time to go get that Flu shot before the season starts to take off! Looking back at last Flu season, it was one of the biggest we have had in the past 5 years. Last season, Flu kicked off in mid-November, a little later than the previous season. Flu seasonality is still recovering from the COVID pandemic, but is starting to get back to normal. The past two seasons we have seen Flu cases peak around mid-December (probably because we are all gathering with family and friends to celebrate the holiday season). We will have to wait and see what this season brings, but I think that it will be similar to the past two years.

RSV activity is still low for the 2024-2025 season. Last year was a fairly mild RSV season, with the total number of cases being lower than the past two seasons. Part of this decrease may be due to the new RSV vaccine that came out last year. For information on who can get this, please check out the resources tab up top and chat with your primary care physician to see if its right for you. Compared to Flu, RSV season tends to start a little earlier in November. I hope with the continued uptake of the RSV vaccine, we will continue to see lower RSV rates than previous seasons.

In with the snow and out with the “summer wave” of COVID-19. COVID wastewater concentrations have return to low from all three watersheds after elevated levels for most of the summer. If you escaped the “summer wave” without getting COIVD, then you may want to think about getting a COVID vaccine when you go in and get your Flu shot. If you have recently gotten COVID, then you may want to wait a few months or so to get the COVID vaccine.

Oct 8

Welcome to the first edition of Between Two Graphs with Nancy Porter, your Summit County Epidemiologist. Each week I will provide my take of what is going on with respiratory diseases in the county.

Flu season - So far, we don’t have any laboratory reported cases of Flu for the 2024-2025 season. It is time to go get that Flu shot before the season starts to take off! Looking back at last Flu season, it was one of the biggest we have had in the past 5 years. Last season, Flu kicked off in mid-November, a little later than the previous season. Flu seasonality is still recovering from the COVID pandemic, but is starting to get back to normal. The past two seasons we have seen Flu cases peak around mid-December (probably because we are all gathering with family and friends to celebrate the holiday season). We will have to wait and see what this season brings, but I think that it will be similar to the past two years.

For RSV, no lab reported cases yet for the 2024-2025 season. Last year was a fairly mild RSV season, with the total number of cases being lower than the past two seasons. Part of this decrease may be due to the new RSV vaccine that came out last year. For information on who can get this, please check out the resources tab up top and chat with your primary care physician to see if its right for you. Compared to Flu, RSV season tends to start a little earlier in November. I hope with the continued uptake of the RSV vaccine, we will continue to see lower RSV rates than previous seasons.

Now for COVID. We have been experiencing a “summer wave” of COVID-19, like much of the country, which you can see in the wastewater graphs at the bottom of the page. COVID concentrations have been elevated for most of the summer, with the exception of the Coalville watershed, which has been bouncing between low and elevated since July. Hopefully this “summer wave” dies down soon. If you have escaped the “summer wave” without getting COIVD, then you may want to think about getting a COVID vaccine when you go in and get your Flu shot. If you have recently gotten COVID, then you may want to wait a few months or so to get the COVID vaccine.