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After seeing the influenza A positivity rate increase rapidly in Mercer County since the new year, WVU Medicine is encouraging residents to take precautions against respiratory illness.
According to a press release from WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital, their lab reports show a 29.1% positivity rate for the virus from Jan. 26 to 29. The previous week, the positivity rate was 22.2%.
The week before that, from Jan. 12 to 18, the positivity rate was just 8.7%.
While the case rate increase happened quickly, Nancy Edwards, the director of infection prevention at the hospital, said rising cases of influenza are to be expected this time of year.
“January and February are peak months for influenza illnesses. Influenza As are your predominant strain right now, and as the season starts to come to an end, the end of February, (the) first part of March, influenza B illnesses will start popping up,” Edwards said.
Influenza A and B symptoms are nearly identical, but influenza A is more common in adults, while influenza B is more common in children. Influenza A also tends to be more severe and spreads faster.
“We’re just trying to educate the public that this is the time of the season where we’re going to see those upticks,” Edwards said. “The precautions that they need to take, of course, is respiratory etiquette.”
Edwards advised West Virginians to protect themselves and their families by covering coughs and sneezes and practicing good hand hygiene.
She also advised seeking prompt medical attention should symptoms arise.
“There are antivirals out there that require you to start taking them no later than 48 hours after your first symptoms have appeared,” Edwards said. “So it’s a time-sensitive illness. You can recover quite quickly if you seek help early and get the antiviral medication.”
Edwards also said it is never too late to be inoculated against influenza, especially for vulnerable populations like infants, children, seniors or anyone that has medical conditions that cause them to have suppressed immune systems.
“You want to be aware that when you do get a vaccine, you’re not instantly immune,” Edwards said. “It does take the body about two weeks to develop antibodies to protect you from the influenza vaccine. Now you can still get the influenza illness after you’ve had a vaccine because the vaccine will lessen the severity of your symptoms, versus someone that’s not vaccinated can have some very serious symptoms that cause them to have to have a visit to the emergency room, admission into a hospital. Influenza can be deadly.”
The state’s respiratory dashboard showed a 1.84 percent increase in outpatient visits for influenza-like illness symptoms and a 3.26 percent decrease in emergency room visits for influenza symptoms statewide when accessed on Jan. 30, 2025. It was last updated on January 24, 2025.
The West Virginia Department of Health did not respond to a request for comment.
