DELAWARE, Ohio (WCMH) — The Delaware Public Health District released its annual infectious disease report and it showed how bad last year’s flu season was.

“It really is to inform the community about what’s happening locally,” Delaware Public Health District Deputy Health Commissioner Adam Howard said. “Using that information, they can then take that and use precautions to protect themselves and their family.”

The 22-page document outlines all the different types of diseases people in the area dealt with in 2025 and how many residents had them. The top five reported diseases were chlamydia, flu-related hospitalizations, gonorrhea, campylobacteriosis, and salmonellosis, according to DPHD. 

“As far as the health district goes, our role in all this is to provide the information to try and help people who are sick and try and find where things are spreading and try to help stop the spread,” Howard said.

Howard said the flu numbers and hospitalizations also stand out to him.

“We did have a higher flu hospitalization rate last year and that is really predominantly based on the fact that the 2024 to 2025 flu season was a severe season,” he said. “That’s what it was both here locally and nationally.”

DPHD reported 151 flu hospitalizations in 2025, according to the report. Page six compares case numbers over the last five years. Part of that page looks at vaccine-preventable and invasive bacterial diseases. “Notably, these cases have increased significantly since 2023, rising from 73 reported cases in 2023 to 235 in 2025,” the report said.

“The spike is predominantly based on the flu hospitalizations,” Howard said. “If you look at flu hospitalizations, they tripled last year, and that is really due to the severity of the flu season last year. Those numbers are much lower this year than they were last year so that’s a good thing. But it also shows the importance of getting vaccinated for things like flu.”

Three suspects are accused of fleeing the scene after attempting to steal cable wire in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, leaving behind a vehicle with an infant inside.

According to the Upper Chichester Township Police Department, on March 30, 2026, just after 2:00 a.m., an officer was called to 3162 Meetinghouse Road after receiving a report of two suspicious vehicles tampering with cable wires.

Upon arrival, police said the officer found a maroon Chrysler 300 with a cable wire protruding from the open trunk and hand saws in plain view on the passenger seats. The vehicle was then towed to the Upper Chichester Police Department pending a search warrant.

A second vehicle, a Jeep Liberty, was stopped by Aston Police Department, and inside were Angelina Williams and Ray Gibase, investigators said. During the stop, police said officers found a saw blade under the passenger seat; however, both of them were released at that time.

Police said while inspecting the Chrysler 300 at police headquarters, an officer found a baby car seat covered with a blanket. He then noticed movement and discovered an infant inside.

“Officers immediately entered the vehicle, confirmed the infant was unharmed, and found the child sleeping. The infant was removed and transported by Boothwyn EMS to a local hospital for evaluation,” police said.

Further investigation determined that Williams is the infant’s mother and was involved in the cable wire tampering incident.

Police said Williams was then taken into custody and she admitted her involvement.

Gibase, and another man, Joseph Daniels, were also charged in this case.