COLUMBUS, Ohio—(AVC News)–An aggressive strain of flu appears to be driving a rise in respiratory illness across Ohio.
Reports say a strain of the H1N1 flu is driving an early and sharp rise in cases of flu, RSV and COVID-19 in recent weeks.
Health officials note that this shows an early start to flu season which typically falls between December and February.
The latest from the Ohio Department of Health shows 296 individuals hospitalized for respiratory related infections, an increase of 180 individuals hospitalized related to the flu, however, hospitalizations due to RSV and COVID declined.
However, the current totals are no where near the peaks of 4,640 respiratory illness related hospitalizations in February 2025 or 3,158 in January of this year.
Currently, the highest level of respiratory outbreaks at 150, was in northeast Ohio, while the lowest was in southeast and southeast central Ohio at 32 each.
Meanwhile, the ODH has reported 310 confirmed measles cases across 25 counties so far in 2026, this representing a nearly six-fold increase compared to the 45 cases reported in all of 2025.
Measles cases are rising nationwide, recently surpassing the 5,000 cases level in 45 states, in what health agencies note is the highest annual total in decades.
Health officials continue to urge citizens to take advantage of the numerous forms of vaccinations that are available.
