Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

NATCHEZ — The number of people seeking healthcare for acute respiratory illness is increasing nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

As of Monday, Jan. 13, the rate of people seeking healthcare for respiratory illness is high in Mississippi and Louisiana and surrounding states including Texas, Arkansas, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina; very high in Oklahoma and Kentucky; and moderate in Alabama and North Carolina, the CDC reports.

Influenza test positivity was stable at 18.6 percent nationally, COVID-19 test positivity was stable at 6.9 percent and RSV test positivity increased to 11.6 percent.

Nationally, emergency department visits are high for diagnosed influenza and very high for diagnosed RSV. Emergency department visits for COVID-19 are elevated. Emergency visits for COVID-19 are highest among young children and older adults. Visits for RSV are highest among young children. Visits for influenza remain elevated among all age groups.

In Mississippi, late December was a peak time for emergency room visits for flu in both 2023 and in 2024. On Dec. 28, 2024, approximately 1 percent of emergency department visits were for RSV and COVID symptoms and approximately seven percent were for flu. In Mississippi in late December of 2023, 10.2 percent of emergency room visits were for flu, three percent for COVID and 0.4 percent for RSV. COVID-19 emergency room visits over the last year peaked highest around August of 2024.

Kenzie Sims, a nurse practitioner at Merit Health Natchez’s primary care clinic, said she has seen a noticeable rise in all respiratory illnesses from COVID, flu, and viral illnesses that aren’t showing up on tests in recent months.

“We’re absolutely seeing a lot of everything,” she said.

Her best advice to patients is to see a healthcare provider sooner rather than later.

“Most treatments are more efficient if administered sooner, within the first 48 hours of symptom onset,” she said.

To help prevent the spread of illnesses, frequently wash hands, cover coughs and sneezes and avoid going out around other people if you’re feeling sick, Sims said.

“Though they recommend around September, you can still get your flu shot through May,” Sims said. “The most important thing is if you feel sick, stay home. Around this time of year when we see families and friends gathering for the holidays is also when we see the most people getting infected. If you’re feeling bad, you shouldn’t be around others.”

For non-emergency respiratory illnesses, Sims said home remedies such as using a humidifier, air purifier, saline solution, nebulizer or a steam shower can be helpful to break up mucous. However, seek immediate medical attention for a high fever of 103 or shortness of breath, she said.