Lowell public-health director reports drop in flu cases, renewed wastewater monitoring and increased syringe pickups

Lowell’s public-health director briefed the Board of Health on Feb. 4 about disease trends, outreach and harm-reduction activity across the city. The director reported that reported influenza cases dropped from 688 in December 2025 to 375 in January and said the state’s influenza level has moved to 'low.' Wastewater reporting has resumed and will be included in future updates. The director also said TB case counts were about eight to nine at present.

Board members discussed seasonal diagnoses, noting late Lyme and a late West Nile diagnosis as examples of lagged reporting. The board outlined Heart Month outreach: public blood-pressure screenings at Dragonfly Café, senior-center activities, an employee 'wear red' day on Feb. 6 and planned mayoral participation.

On substance-abuse and harm reduction, staff reported that Andres compiled year-end totals for syringes collected and pounds of waste picked up and that requests for resident pickups (via 311) have increased along walking trails and public areas such as the Freeman Trail and Riverwalk. Speaker 2 said four sharps kiosks exist inside city buildings (health department, senior center, Lowell Community Health and Riverbend) and that there are currently no outdoor kiosks; the senior center has been on a waiting list for an outdoor kiosk for more than a year.

School health updates noted the unit is short three nurses with one staff member going on maternity leave; a new substitute started and another candidate was interviewed. The director said Hope will revise reporting to compare like months year over year to produce clearer month-to-month comparisons. On school safety, Speaker 2 said every school has at least one AED and choking devices and that the school department pays for AED purchases and maintenance plans while school nurses check readiness.

Board members asked whether staff could present detailed data on syringe pickup locations and trends; staff indicated that Sheehy has spreadsheet-tracked data and is willing to brief the board. Several members praised the community-school partnerships with UMass Lowell, Lowell Community Health and public schools for facilitating student vaccinations and care access.

The board did not take formal policy action during this segment; staff noted follow-up items, including a request to obtain comparative vaccination rates and scheduling a data presentation on syringe pickups.