Kitsap Public Health District officials reported an increase in flu cases following the holiday season as part of the health board’s Jan. 6 meeting.

“You can see over the past several weeks that we have had a significant increase in influenza activity, not a complete surprise…We tend to see a spike around now. It’s a little bit later than what we’ve seen in the past several years, but consistent. And so with that at the state level, we’ve seen a similar increase,” KPHD interim health officer Dr. Herbie Duber said.

RSV is also on the rise; however, KPHD has not seen a significant rise in COVID-19 at this time, he said.

Duber said as a result of increasing flu activity throughout the state, and having passed the Acute Respiratory Infection threshold, masking will likely begin in settings for healthcare workers.

“So please, use your good judgment. Mask if you’re not feeling well, be thoughtful when going into crowded spaces. And if you’re not feeling well, consider staying home,” he said.

KPHD doesn’t require masking in health care facilities; however, the health district supports masking in healthcare facilities to protect patients, staff, and visitors, KPHD spokesperson Tad Sooter wrote via email.

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health began requiring team members to wear masks in patient care settings Jan. 7, systemwide. VMFH operates St. Michael Medical Center in Silverdale and several other healthcare facilities in Kitsap County.

Duber also said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acting director Jim O’Neill updated the pediatric immunization schedule Jan. 5, used for the timing of childhood vaccinations. Duber noted O’Neill isn’t a physician or scientist, adding, “It’s a pretty dramatic change in recommendations. It reduces the number of diseases that were covered by routine pediatric vaccinations from 17 down to 11.

“Perhaps most importantly, there is no new evidence that we have around the safety and efficacy of these vaccines that led to the changes that were made,” he said.

Duber said there are no intended insurance changes to either public or private payers in 2026, adding, ”what happens after that is less clear.” In Washington state, school vaccination requirements have not changed, he said.

At the meeting, the board also received updates about the new food safety rating program since its July rollout. KPHD uses the following categories for food establishments: Best– no violations observed (100%% average score), Great– a few violations observed, Okay– a number of violations observed, and Needs to improve – establishment is on probation, per KPHD.

New businesses will have a sign saying “we are still new,” while temporary food establishments, such as vendors, are inspected but don’t have an inspection sign, per KPHD.

“As a past food inspector, it was kind of hard to explain to family and friends what a 93 meant vs. a 97. You can have items that are pretty impactful but didn’t mess up a score,” KPHD assistant director of environmental health, Eric Evans said. In 2024, the board supported the implementation of the food safety rating signs.

Before the launch, KPHD provided food safety inspection reports online, which people could read and determine if they wanted to visit a particular business, he said.

“The requirement is that they have to post these [food inspection reports] in an accessible position before you have an opportunity to get your food. So that way you can make your decision,” Evans said. “That was the most important part of getting this started.”

KPHD conducted an initial survey between April 14-May 19, 2025, and reported 1,724 valid responses, with 50.4% of respondents reporting they have looked up a food inspection score.

Following the July launch, KPHD received 1,037 valid responses, with 64.5% seeing new signs, 42.5% saying they previously looked up inspection information, and 89.3% said the food safety signs would influence their decision about dining out. Based on write-in answers with a 68.3% participation rate, 0.4% said signs would not impact their decision, while 75% reported either they wouldn’t eat at food establishments with low ratings or would prefer to eat at an establishment with a high rating, per KPHD. The survey was conducted between Oct. 6-Nov. 10, 2025.

Evans said KPHD inspects roughly 1,400 permitted food establishments, excluding temporary food establishments, has a staff of six inspectors and a program manager, and conducts inspections based on the risk type of an establishment. A low-risk business is inspected once a year, while a high-risk business is inspected twice a year, with scores based on a rolling two-year average, he said.

“So what happens during your two years rolls up your score, and then we have breaks in the points where you have either best, great, okay, and working on it,” he said.

KPHD also launched recruitment efforts for a health officer in December and plans to start interviews before making a recommendation to the board in the coming weeks, KPHD health administrator Yolanda Fong said.