Respiratory illnesses rising in Grant Co.

MOSES LAKE — As of the first week of February there has been one flu-related death in Grant County during the 2025-26 flu season. Lexi Smith, communications coordinator for the Grant County Health District, said it’s been a pretty active respiratory illness season so far. 

“It’s not as bad as last year, because that was a pretty severe season, but (flu) is definitely prevalent in our area,” Smith said.  

The flu-related dearth was a person between 50 and 60 years of age who had underlying  health conditions, Smith wrote in a GCHD press release. The health monitors the prevalence of various respiratory illnesses, including flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus. As of now, there are low levels of COVID-19 and RSV, Smith said.  

Among other things, GCHD officials use flu-related emergency room visits to help track the level of flu activity.  

“Last week, more than 6% of (emergency department) visits were related to flu. The official threshold is 1.44%, meaning flu activity is over four times that level,” she said.  

Illness rates have been increasing during January. 

“In Grant County, emergency department visits for flu have increased for four straight weeks and rose from 6.4% to 7.4% in the last week,” she said.  

Respiratory illness season typically begins in November and reaches a peak in February, according to information from the Washington Department of Health. Smith said the 2024-25 season ended in April 2025. It was the worst in more than a decade. 

“The 2024-25 respiratory illness season had the highest hospitalization rate since the 2010-11 season. Last season, flu activity peaked at 9.9% (of flu-related ER visits) in the second week of February.” 

There have been flu outbreaks in the county, she said, and GCHD is monitoring respiratory illnesses in healthcare facilities and schools. 

The health district recommends avoiding visits to healthcare facilities – especially extended care facilities – for people who are experiencing respiratory symptoms. Whether or not people have symptoms, they should wear a well-fitting protective mask when visiting an extended care facility. People in extended care and in hospitals are among the most vulnerable to respiratory viruses, the GCHD press release said. 

Basic hygiene is important to fighting the spread of respiratory illnesses; people should wash their hands frequently and cover their mouths if coughing or sneezing. People who aren’t feeling well should stay home.  

It’s a good idea to stay home until symptoms start getting better. People should delay going back to work until they’ve been feeling better and they haven’t had a fever for at least 24 hours. People should take extra precautions for about five days once they go back to their normal activities. That includes wearing a mask. 

Dr. Alexander Brzezny, health officer for Grant County, urged people to follow the guidelines. 

“With high flu activity in our area, we encourage everyone to take care of themselves and others by staying up to date with on the flu vaccine, staying home when you are sick and staying informed,” he said.