November 30th Illness Update

These are the major illnesses going around right now. If this is helpful for you please share on Facebook or Twitter, thank you!For more information about our office click here.We have all sizes of Pamper's diapers in stock for $17.49 per large box, stop by anytime during business hours to purchase. for more info click here.11/30/2018

• The two dreaded winter viruses: Influenza, and RSV, have started to pop up more this week. If your child has gotten the Flu vaccine this year, the good news is that it looks like a good match with the Flu virus that is being seen so far.
• RSV (and the very similar Human Metapneumovirus) are viruses that cause a very bad cough and lots of clear/white runny nose that can be especially dangerous for young babies. Signs to watch for would be infants who have coughing "fits", wheezing, or any signs of trouble breathing. If you are worried we should definitely take a look at them. Common infections after having RSV are ear infections, urinary tract infections, and pneumonia, so we would definitely want to know about any new fevers once your child is getting over RSV.
• Influenza ("the flu") causes high fevers, muscle aches, nausea and often vomiting, along with cough, congestion, and runny nose. It's miserable and you typically just want to lie in bed. It typically takes 5-7 days to even start feeling better, and common complications are pneumonia and ear infections. If your child is running a high fever, along with the nausea and cough, let us know because we can test for the flu, and if we catch it early (within the first 48 hours), we can treat with an antiviral medication that can shorten the length of the flu.
• We continue to see a whole lot of "the common cold", which is typically caused by Rhinovirus. which is going around right now. Typical symptoms are cough, congestion, runny nose, sore throat, and possible fevers up to 102 for the first couple days. The cough typically lasts 10-14 days. If fever is lasting more than 4 days you should probably let us know. We sometimes see ear infections develop after colds in younger kids.
• Also going around right now is "croup". This is typically caused by the Parainfluenza virus and causes a distinctive "barky" cough (think sea-lion bark) that is always worse at night, and can cause breathing problems. We typically do want to see any younger kids who have croup as they often need a dose of steroids to help with the cough and breathing.
• We also continue to see stomach virus illnesses this past week. The viruses that tend to cause these are Enterovirus, and Adenovirus. The typical symptoms with these are fevers (can get up to 104) for 3-4 days, along with upset stomach, usually some congestion and a cough. Sore throat is very common, and decreased appetite, possibly vomiting but more commonly diarrhea as well. Typically there is nothing to worry about with this, and symptomatic care and plenty of fluids is usually all that is required, but you would want to let us know if you are worried that your child is getting dehydrated, has a severe headache, or if fever is lasting for more than 4-days. These are easy to confuse with Influenza, which is one reason we test kids who we are worried about having the flu.
• Finally, we continue to see cases of Strep throat. Typical symptoms are of course fever and sore throat, but you can also see headaches, nausea, and rash as well. If your child has a fever and a sore throat definitely let us know so we can get them tested!

As always, feel free to give us a call or send a message through the patient portal if you have any questions or concerns!- Dr Wilson