WASHINGTON (7News) — It’s that time of year again where the flu and RSV are starting to circulate. The good news? Cases are lower compared to last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Doctors, however, are still urging people to get those vaccines along with their COVID booster.
You may have noticed a lot more people with masks on, and the latest poll found almost half of U.S. adults plan to get the new COVID-19 vaccine. Actually getting them at your local pharmacy may take some digging. More than likely, you’ll have to make an appointment online, wait a few days, and search around for an appointment with the vaccine you’re looking for.
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It's not just COVID and the flu shot doctors are urging people to get vaccinated for. We’re also entering RSV season which goes from October to February.
Pediatricians are especially concerned about RSV because it’s the leading cause of hospitalization for young infants and there’s a vaccine available and the symptoms are very similar to COVID. There’s fever, runny nose and cough, but for the youngest patients RSV can also cause more severe illness, inflation and swelling in the lungs.
SEE ALSO | Infectious disease experts warn of viral season, new tools to combat RSV introduced
“Watching for fast breathing, labored breathing any severe wheezing. I always tell families watch for underneath the ribs. If you're seeing that sinking in as your child is breathing, that's a sign they're working too hard and they need to be seen,” said Dr. Christine Ashburn, a pediatrician with Kaiser Permanente. “Congestion makes it very hard for them to eat and breathe at the same time. So we can see dehydration. So for those young babies keep an eye on their wet diapers. We want to see three to four over the course of 24 hours. That's a good sign that they're staying hydrated. And then of course trust your instincts. You know your child best if it seems like they're getting more sick. Or you're just sitting there worried call your health care professional have them evaluated.”
Speaking of congestion, Dr. Ashburn recommends a few home remedies, too.
“What we recommend at home is mostly supportive care measures. For congestion, which is one of the most common symptoms we see we would recommend saline spray, sectioning out the nose of young infants, having a humidifier on especially while they're sleeping overnight to help with that congested breathing overnight,” explained Dr. Ashburn. “If they're over the age of one you can also use honey as a good natural cough treatment for them. And for my kids, what I do is I take a little teaspoon full of just regular honey, dissolve it into some warm water and have them drink it almost like a little tea. And that's been shown to be just as effective as the over the counter cough medications actually for those young kids.”
