Across the country, health officials are seeing a rise in cases of seasonal illnesses including flu, COVID-19, RSV and norovirus.
Robbie Goldstein, the commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, said the state has seen an upward trajectory of these viruses over the last four to five weeks. He said people should take precautions as the viruses continue to circulate.
“For those who haven’t gotten their vaccines, if you’re eligible, you should go,” he said.
Only 37% of Massachusetts residents have received the latest flu vaccine, and only 19% of residents got the latest COVID-19 vaccine, according to state data . There is also an RSV vaccine available to patients most at risk of developing severe illness from an infection. There is no vaccine for norovirus.
While the country has seen declining rates of vaccination among young people, Goldstein said Massachusetts has long been a leader in childhood vaccination rates, though he admits there is still progress to be made.
“We have work to do to make sure that we’re reaching all communities, in particular our rural communities here in Massachusetts, where we sometimes see lower vaccination rates,” he said.
Goldstein also recommended other commonsense measures, such as staying home or wearing a mask if you’re not feeling well, and more rigorous hand washing.
“For norovirus, you really need soap and water,” he said, noting that hand sanitizer is not sufficient. “Go and sing 'Happy Birthday’ as you’re washing your hands for a long period of time, because that virus is pretty hardy and we want to make sure that you get it completely off your hands.”
Another disease that Goldstein is watching is bird flu, also known as H5N1. He said infectious disease doctors have considered bird flu a potential threat for years, and public health officials have worked closely with agriculture teams to monitor the spread of the virus.
While the United States saw its first fatal case a couple weeks ago in Louisiana , Goldstein said the risk to the general population is “very low.”
“We have a really great surveillance network, especially here in Massachusetts,” Goldstein said. “We know that [bird flu] exists in ... the wild birds here in Massachusetts. But we have been testing monthly the dairy cattle, and we have not identified a single farm here in Massachusetts that has avian influenza in their cattle.”
He said the U.S. Department of Agriculture is developing a similar program to implement nationwide.
Copyright 2025 WGBH Radio
