Stay Protected From Respiratory Illnesses

Keep an eye on which diseases are spreading in Spokane County. Visit the Respiratory Illness Dashboard to see trends for diseases circulating in our community based on hospitalizations, deaths and wastewater surveillance.

Understanding trends in local respiratory illnesses can help you and loved ones make informed decisions about current health risks.

• Get your COVID-19 and flu vaccine every fall.
• If you’re 60 or older, or if you are pregnant, talk to your doctor to see if an RSV vaccine is the right option for you.
• Check to see if you are protected from pertussis—talk to your doctor or visit MyIR Mobile to see if you have received a pertussis-containing vaccine such as DTaP or Tdap. If it’s been more than 10 years since your last vaccine, you should get a booster.
• Contact your medical provider to set up an appointment, or find a pharmacy offering the vaccines you need on vaccines.gov. If you do not have insurance, you can also visit the Washington State Department of Health Adult Vaccine Program Provider Map to find a vaccine provider offering vaccines at no cost.

What do we mean? Wash for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water. If someone at home is sick, make sure to disinfect surfaces that are touched often.

This also helps prevent the spread of viruses and bacteria.

Use your arm or use a tissue instead of your hand.

This way, you’re less likely to spread illness by touching surfaces or other people with contaminated hands.

It’s that simple. Keep your coughs and sneezes at home, away from coworkers, classmates, friends and family.

Trust us, they’ll thank you! And make sure to rest so you can feel better, sooner.

Knowing what you have can help you know what treatments to ask your provider for.