Doctors warn that the flu is here, and it may not be going away until the spring. They encourage families to get the flu shot now, so it can start taking effect before holiday gatherings. “Because everyone was really hunkered down and paying lots of attention to COVID, the last two years, you know, this does kind of seem like an explosion,” said Dr. Shannon Godsil, a pediatrician. COVID-19, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus are all making their presence known across the country.”It’s those kids that are under 2 that we worry about the most,” Godsil said. “And then the kids that tend to be the most hospitalized are under 6 months.”Godsil said most kids do not end up in the intensive care unit. “Even though it seems overwhelming, it is good for our immune system, we want exposure, we want these viruses back into the community,” Godsil said. Parents of children with underlying conditions should still be cautious, the pediatrician added. Leah Boldt of the Down Syndrome Alliance of the Midlands knows that first-hand. “This year, just with the flu and RSV being so high, we are seeing a high number of our families being admitted to the hospital,” Boldt said. According to doctors, extra vigilance looks like washing hands and wearing masks indoors.“A respiratory virus that might not be bad for somebody else but can be, you know, deadly to somebody with Down syndrome,” Boldt said. Godsil said she and her colleagues are overwhelmed at their clinic, like many hospitals and health care offices. She asks parents to seek medical care if a child is exhibiting worrisome symptoms like heavy breathing and to take preventative measures to keep both kids and health care workers healthy.”It’s hard. It’s this balance, right? Because I think everyone really does want to see their family members be able to experience the holidays. But I think that the risk of you, you know, getting exposed, or at least exposing lots of really potentially sick kids, or family members, is sometimes scarier,” Godsil said. Watch the video above for the full story.
Doctors warn that the flu is here, and it may not be going away until the spring. They encourage families to get the flu shot now, so it can start taking effect before holiday gatherings.
“Because everyone was really hunkered down and paying lots of attention to COVID, the last two years, you know, this does kind of seem like an explosion,” said Dr. Shannon Godsil, a pediatrician.
COVID-19, the flu and respiratory syncytial virus are all making their presence known across the country.
“It’s those kids that are under 2 that we worry about the most,” Godsil said. “And then the kids that tend to be the most hospitalized are under 6 months.”
Godsil said most kids do not end up in the intensive care unit.
“Even though it seems overwhelming, it is good for our immune system, we want exposure, we want these viruses back into the community,” Godsil said.
Parents of children with underlying conditions should still be cautious, the pediatrician added. Leah Boldt of the Down Syndrome Alliance of the Midlands knows that first-hand.
“This year, just with the flu and RSV being so high, we are seeing a high number of our families being admitted to the hospital,” Boldt said.
According to doctors, extra vigilance looks like washing hands and wearing masks indoors.
“A respiratory virus that might not be bad for somebody else but can be, you know, deadly to somebody with Down syndrome,” Boldt said.
Godsil said she and her colleagues are overwhelmed at their clinic, like many hospitals and health care offices. She asks parents to seek medical care if a child is exhibiting worrisome symptoms like heavy breathing and to take preventative measures to keep both kids and health care workers healthy.
“It’s hard. It’s this balance, right? Because I think everyone really does want to see their family members be able to experience the holidays. But I think that the risk of you, you know, getting exposed, or at least exposing lots of really potentially sick kids, or family members, is sometimes scarier,” Godsil said.
Watch the video above for the full story.
