HONOLULU (KHON2) -- This winter, Hawaii is seeing a dangerous surge in respiratory viruses. Health officials said these increases may be tied to a troubling trend - declining vaccination rates across the islands, especially among students. Get Hawaii's latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You It's likely you, or someone you know, has come down with something. Physicians said it's that time of the year. Cats can get sick with bird flu. Here’s how to protect them "You might remember a couple of years ago, RSV was particularly bad and landed lots of people in the hospital. It seems like this winter, it's looking like it's going to be flu," said Dr. Phillip Verhoef, John A Burns School of Medicine professor and ICU physician. This year, there are multiple viruses circulating: RSV, flu, COVID and Norovirus. Health officials say one of the reasons for the uptick may be the low vaccination rates, particularly amongst children. According to Department of Health data, of 382 schools reporting in the 2023-2024 school year, 282 schools, or nearly 75%, have more than 5% of their students not up to date on vaccines. Alarmingly, 36 schools reported that over half of their student population are missing required immunizations. "We've just gone through a pandemic, and we asked the public to really do a lot of things in terms of the public health. And I think there was a lot of fatigue from that. That's understandable," said Dr. Nathan Tan, Hawaii Department of Health State Deputy Epidemiologist. Health officials also point to misinformation about vaccinations and access challenges as other reasons for the decline in immunizations. The CDC confirms an upward trend in Hawaii's religious exemption rates over the last few years. "We know that not very many people have gotten the COVID vaccine, not very many people have gotten the flu vaccine, and especially with the flu numbers that we're seeing now that really worries us," Verhoef said. An uptick in unvaccinated students could leave schools vulnerable to potentially dangerous outbreaks. "Now we're seeing fewer and fewer people getting the the immunizations for measles, and we worry that it really is a ticking time bomb before we get our next measles outbreak," Verhoef said. The John H Burns School of Medicine is educating med students on how to talk with patients about immunization. The State Department of Health is taking action, working with schools and healthcare providers to improve vaccine access and educate families about their importance. "I think it's really important in that we want to get that message out. It's a good reminder, good time to take a pause and remember how important vaccines are," Tan said. If you do get sick from one of the many viruses out there, doctors recommend you stay home. If you're at risk of complications for respiratory viruses, consider getting tested. Find more Hawaii, Oahu, Maui and Kauai news here For more information about respiratory viruses and noroviruses, visit the DOH website.