The Spread Sheet
February 17, 2026
Measles continues to spread. To date, 989 cases of measles have been diagnosed in 2026, with the epicenter of the outbreak still in South Carolina. Hundreds of unvaccinated individuals — children and college students — are in quarantine for at least 21 days. We learned this week that 94% of all of the measles cases in the South Carolina outbreak are either unvaccinated or their vaccine status is unknown. And at least 19 children have been hospitalized.
While we are halfway through February and spring begins in just 31 days, please remember that respiratory virus season lasts until May. We still have two and a half months to go. Here is what you need to know about disease spread across the country this week…
Influenza continues to spread.
And as flu spreads, the number of individuals dying from influenza is increasing. During the current flu season, there have been an estimated 12,000 deaths from influenza, including 60 children.
And while pediatric deaths from flu do not occur often, they do happen. These deaths do NOT make sense. These children were healthy, yet they died from the flu. While we do not understand why one child dies and many recover from the flu, we do know that the flu vaccine prevents death from influenza.
In addition to flu, both COVID and RSV continue to spread across the country.
The levels of flu, SARS-CoV-2, and RSV in the wastewater across the US are HIGH. This is a sign that the number of cases will continue to increase in the coming weeks. We are expecting a lot of people to get sick with flu, COVID, and RSV over the coming weeks/months. Our research group will be watching this closely…
In addition to tracking the respiratory viruses, our research group — the Phlegm Fatales1 — is also tracking norovirus (aka the stomach bug) and measles.
Norovirus is still spreading (it ripped through our campus late last week). And according to our research, only 30% of state health departments are sharing updates about norovirus outbreaks. Among those states, nearly half are reporting increases in norovirus.
Wastewater levels are high and INCREASING.
To prevent the spread of norovirus, be sure to wash your hands, especially before you eat or prepare food. Washing your hands will also prevent the spread of other diseases (including flu and the common cold).
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As always, if you have questions or need more specific information about disease spread or respiratory virus season, please reach out.
Epi(demiology) Matters is written by Dr. Becky Dawson, PhD MPH — an epidemiologist, teacher, mom, wife, and dedicated yogi. She is a tenured professor at Allegheny College, Research Director at a community hospital, and an exclusive contributor (all things health & medicine) at Erie News Now (NBC/CBS). Her goal is to create healthy communities for all. She writes Epi Matters — first & foremost because epidemiology does matter (to all of us), and she hopes that each post will help to educate and empower readers to be healthy and create healthy communities.
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The Phlegm Fatales are a research group coordinated by Dr. Becky Dawson. Researchers include — Carly Beers, Olivia Clark, Ananya Yendluri, Rion McCluskey, Lillian Branthoover, Mary Kay Radnich, Erin Lowthert, Jayne Seth, and Rhyan Rish.