ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Rates of respiratory illness in Western North Carolina are trending downward, according to the latest data from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.

The department’s Respiratory Virus Summary Dashboard shows that 5.4 percent of emergency room visits statewide were for symptoms of respiratory illness as of Oct. 8, down from 6.4 percent the previous week. Hospital admissions related to respiratory viruses — including influenza, RSV and COVID-19 — also dropped from 1,101 to 847.

In Region 6, which includes Buncombe and surrounding western counties, emergency room visits for COVID-like illness declined by 1.10 percent compared with the previous week. Visits for influenza-like symptoms fell slightly, by 0.13 percent.

To monitor community-level virus activity, NCDHHS and partners continue testing wastewater for viral particles from COVID-19, Flu A/B and RSV. These tests can detect trends even before residents seek medical care, offering an early warning system for local health officials.

According to the state’s October Wastewater Monitoring Network newsletter, COVID-19 viral activity in wastewater remains moderate but is decreasing after a September peak. Flu A and RSV levels have remained low since last winter, while Flu B has shown only a few detections since peaking in the spring. No measles activity has been detected since the state began monitoring in June.

“Wastewater surveillance is a valuable tool for local health departments to track illnesses like flu and COVID in our communities,” Buncombe County Health Director Ellis D. Matheson said in the report. “We use the information to inform health messaging and encourage public health action like vaccination or notifications to local health care providers.”

The wastewater monitoring initiative is a partnership between NCDHHS, University of North Carolina researchers, wastewater utilities and county health departments across the state.