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Influenza activity has increased and the spread of the respiratory illness in Iowa has been upgraded to regional. One flu-related death of a middle-aged eastern Iowa man was reported. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, in the last week, nine influenza-related hospitalizations were recorded. Surveillance sites also detected 146 cases of rhinovirus/enterovirus, 125 cases of RSV, and 105 coronavirus. Washington County Public Health Administrator Danielle Pettit-Majewski encourages people to get a flu vaccine if they haven’t already. It takes approximately two weeks for the immunization to build up in your body.