MECHANICSVILLE, Va. — Back to school season means many kids are coming home with sniffles and a fever.
Doctors say they are seeing an unusually early spike in flu cases-- just a month into the school year.
"There are definitely more sick kids this year at this time than there were last year at this time," shared Bon Secours pediatrician Dr. Anne Marie Tuohy. "And I think some of that is driven by COVID, but also probably being teased out with a little bit of the flu happening at the same time."
Dr. Tuohy says that's why it's so important to keep your child home from school if they aren't feeling well, even if they don't have a fever.
"If they just are really, you know, feeling terrible and not even able to get up and eat their breakfast in the morning, I think you really need to take a pause and say, OK, maybe I need to watch this child and let them have a day to kind of recuperate before they go back," Dr. Tuohy explained.
She also shared the different symptoms you may see between COVID, the flu and strep throat, which she says are all spreading rapidly right now.
The flu is typically accompanied by respiratory symptoms and a high fever within the first 24 hours, as well as a child’s eyes looking very off, Tuohy said.
With COVID, she says you could see similar symptoms but usually not a high fever, and strep throat is often accompanied by vomiting.
As sickness season gets underway, Dr. Tuohy shared some tips to help keep your child as healthy as possible.
"Covering your cough if you are sick is important," she noted. "But even more important is healthy eating and making sure you have a good schedule, and you're getting enough sleep. If your body is well-rested, and you're not kind of behind on that, you have much better immune response to infection."
Dr. Tuohy says hand washing is also incredibly important, as well as getting your flu vaccine.
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Eat It, Virginia! with Scott and RobeyUntold with Catie Beck
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