Ohio County has reported the highest influenza vaccination rates in West Virginia so far in the 2024-25 flu season.

According to state data, 27.02% of the population in the county had been vaccinated against influenza as of Dec. 1, compared to just 18% currently reported to be vaccinated statewide.

County Health Administrator Howard Gamble said the relatively high vaccination rates in Ohio County can be attributed to several factors – high levels of education in the area and access to care, both financial and physical, that may not be as robust in other areas of the state or country.

“The Ohio Valley is very, very fortunate to have access to some very fine medical facilities and doctors vs other parts of the state that are more rural,” he said. “When [communities] become more rural, whether it’s West Virginia, Wisconsin, Nebraska, whatever it is, access to care can affect levels of disease.”

There has also long been an attitude in the Ohio Valley that vaccines help the community, he said.

“[The vaccination rates are] the result of providers, hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, county health as well, that provide vaccinations. It is also a testament to the general public in our area that understands the benefits of the vaccination,” Gamble said.

However the spread of several contagious illnesses is still an ongoing issue this cold weather season. The overlapping of three respiratory illnesses: COVID-19, influenza and RSV, has been straining healthcare facilities nationwide.

Elevated levels of these diseases, as well as norovirus or the “stomach flu,” have been appearing in regular testing of wastewater at the City of Wheeling’s Water Treatment Plant.

“Although [the vaccination rate] is nice, it needs to be much, much greater. And that’s a testament to what we’re seeing in our wastewater,” Gamble said. “We are still getting cases, it is still a spike, it is still high.”

Keeping up with vaccinations can help prevent and make these illnesses less severe when contracted, Gamble emphasized.

“All three of those diseases are respiratory. All three are elevated across the country. All three have a vaccination that can assist with lowering our levels but also lowering our risk of becoming sick and having some strong complications, keeping us out of the hospital,” Gamble said.

The demographic in Ohio County with the highest flu vaccination rates are the elderly, with 56.6% of individuals aged 65 and over having been vaccinated this season as of Dec. 1.

On the other end of the spectrum, the group that is least covered by vaccines are adolescents aged 13 to 17. Only 12.42% of these teens were reported to be vaccinated against the flu.

Vaccines have been at the forefront of public health conversations since Gov. Patrick Morrisey issued an executive order Tuesday enabling religious exemptions from school-mandated vaccines for children. In the past, West Virginia was one of only a few states not to offer religious exemptions for school children.

Though the school-mandated vaccinations in question do not include flu shots, Gamble said any opportunity for fewer people to be vaccinated creates a higher chance for contagious illnesses to spread. School vaccination requirements significantly boost vaccine coverage in the state, he said.

However Gamble clarified that it will still be some time before the state has solidified plans to move forward with a process for allowing these exemptions.