For several weeks now, local water treatment monitoring station Wastewater Scan has detected elevated virus levels in the Bay Area. Rotavirus, norovirus, human metapneumovirus, influenza B, and to a lesser extent influenza A, are on the rise. COVID numbers remain low for now, but these viruses can and do cause debilitating illness that may result in death. This viral uptick parallels a national downward trend in immunizations and may in fact be a result, thanks to vaccine denier RFK Jr. How can we protect ourselves and one another from the return of miserable, preventable diseases when our healthcare system won’t?
This was entirely avoidable
Only five years ago, a miraculous vaccine afforded humanity life-saving protection from a deadly virus circulating around the world. How easily we seem to forget. Experts speculate the spike in viral diseases in the Bay Area is due in part to more sophisticated wastewater surveillance. That said, one can also trace the rotavirus outbreak plaguing the Bay Area to RFK Jr.’s meddling. Back in January, the leather-faced lunatic reclassified the early childhood rotavirus vaccine and others from obligatory to optional. Now an illness toddlers are highly susceptible to, which dangerously dehydrates the body through severe diarrhea and vomiting, is spreading.
Rotavirus spreads rapidly via the fecal-oral route, especially in hospitals, preschools and daycare centers, where people touch contaminated surfaces and share food. It is most contagious when patients present with fever and gastroenteritis. Worse yet, the ensuing nausea and diarrhea can cause potentially fatal dehydration. Though immunity to rotavirus disease strengthens with each infection, one can remain contagious for up to three days after symptoms resolve.
RFK Jr.’s rollback is puzzling at best. He thinks vaccinating for rotavirus should be left between a doctor and the patient and/or the patient’s guardian. United States Secretary of Health & Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Junior believes administering a time-tested vaccine needs a “shared clinical” opinion. Right now, a politician that sounds like he gargles glass for breakfast holds real power over every American preschooler’s health.
According to the Centers For Disease Control, before the rotavirus vaccine was introduced, the disease annually led to over 400,000 doctor visits, over 200,000 emergency room visits, 55,000 to 70,000 hospitalizations, and between 20–60 deaths.
An opportunistic infection
More recently, Kaiser Permanente says they’re seeing an increase in emergency room visits and overnight hospitalizations for the flu throughout Northern California, especially among children. They blame the 2025–26 holiday season for stirring the pot, so to speak. In this metaphor, being a student (and by extension, their teacher) is like wading in flu stew. SFGate claims flu cases are down from their peak in February, but virus levels in local wastewater remain high. According to Kaiser Permanente clinical flu specialist Dr. Connie Park, fewer people getting immunized amid the emergence of a new influenza strain is causing increased hospitalizations and ER visits.
Infectious disease specialist at UC San Francisco Dr. Monica Gandhi identified a key aspect that could be exacerbating the issue. Lower vaccination rates appear to have lowered herd immunity, allowing diseases that flourish mid-winter to linger well into springtime. Diseases keep evolving, yet the advice that keeps us safe time and again remains unchanged. Experts still advise proper handwashing, covering your mouth to cough and sneeze, and staying current on vaccinations. It couldn’t hurt to wear a mask on trains and buses either. Once again, as scientific and humanitarian progress appears to regress (or at best, stand still), defending ourselves and communities falls to us.
