Feeling sick in California? Here are 4 illnesses circulating in the state this spring

Allergies aren’t the only thing bugging California residents this spring.

A number of illnesses are continuing to spread across the state.

If you’re experiencing a cough, a headache or an upset stomach, you might be experiencing one of the following viral diseases.

Is flu on the rise in California?

According to the California Department of Public Health’s weekly report, the percentage of influenza detection at labs is inching upwards.

As of Feb. 25 to March 2, flu detections were at 5.8%, compared to the previous week, when 5.7% of specimens tested positive for flu.

During this time period, there were 31 flu-related deaths.

“To date during the 2023–2024 winter respiratory virus season, 547 influenza-coded deaths have been identified,” the agency said in the report.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, flu symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, fatigue, vomiting and diarrhea.

What about COVID-19?

The latest weekly update by the state health department shows 4.6% of tests came back positive for COVID-19, as of March 4.

This is down 0.5% from the week before.

There were 2,813 coronavirus-related deaths in California from Oct. 1 to March 2, the agency said.

According to the CDC’s health guidelines for travel, COVID symptoms can range from sore throat, headache, fatigue, rhinitis, muscle ache to fever, shortness of breath, loss of taste and smell, and vomiting.

Most infections are mild, the agency said, noting that about 40% of people who contract COVID don’t show symptoms of the disease.

How are RSV cases trending?

Cases of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, typically surge in the fall or winter, the state health department said in a statement to The Sacramento Bee in December.

However, annual community outbreaks may also occur in early spring, the CDC said on its State Trends website.

RSV detections appeared to be trending downward in California, according to the CDC’s update as of March 7.

From Feb. 25 to March 2, the percentage of tests that came back positive for RSV was 2.6%, the California Department of Public Health said. That’s down from 3.5% the week before.

There were 19 RSV-related deaths in this period, and 273 deaths tied to the disease during the 2023–2024 winter respiratory virus season.

Symptoms of RSV include fever, cough, runny nose, wheezing, the agency said on its website.

The disease may be more severe for infants and older adults, resulting in difficulty breathing.

Are norovirus cases on the decline?

Unlike respiratory illnesses such as influenza and COVID-19, norovirus affects the gut. The contagious virus is sometimes referred to as food poisoning or stomach flu.

“Norovirus is the leading cause of vomiting and diarrhea, and foodborne illness in the United States,” the CDC said. “People of all ages can get infected and sick with norovirus, which spreads very easily and quickly.”

Other symptoms include projectile vomiting, abdominal pain, fever and flu-like symptoms.

Cases of the virus appeared to be slightly dropping in the western part of the country — including California, Nevada and Oregon — as of March 7, CDC data shows.

According to the California Department of Public Health, norovirus is a common illness causing about 19 to 21 million cases annually in the United States.

“Because individual cases of norovirus are not reportable, current disease surveillance methods rely on laboratory testing of clinical samples from suspected viral gastroenteritis outbreaks and monitoring of wastewater data,” the agency said.

The agency hadn’t reported recent data on deaths related to norovirus as of Thursday.

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