While colds and the sniffles are a normal part of life for children, parents are being advised to be on the look out for symptoms of more serious viruses, like RSV. The big thing to pay attention to is whether the child has a fever and how long it lasts. | Pexels/Gustavo Fring
While colds and the sniffles are a normal part of life for children, parents are being advised to be on the look out for symptoms of more serious viruses, like RSV. The big thing to pay attention to is whether the child has a fever and how long it lasts. | Pexels/Gustavo Fring
If you’re the parent of schoolchildren, chances are they’re going to develop some sniffles in the winter, and while it might just be a typical cold, pediatricians are saying respiratory viruses are showing up in force early this year — and those can be more serious.
"The one that's on the rise is RSV right now,” Alison Gardner, a pediatrician with Novant Health, told WFMY. “We are starting to see that fast uphill climb.”
Common symptoms of an upper respiratory infection include cough, congestion, and fever, but when those symptoms are seen in children, they can be signs of something much more serious.
"It's just a lot of viral, cough, cold — I call it the back-to-school crud — that the kids are sharing,” Gardner said.
Children typically catch, on average, four to eight viruses a year, Gardner says. While most of those that are caught during winter months are usually nothing to be concerned about, Gardner says there are some things parents should look out for as signs of it being more serious.
"I tell parents, ‘Hey, if we have fever, and it's not going away in three or four days, it's still remaining, we need to check out other bacterial causes setting up,’” she said. Some of the bad viruses can lead to ear infections and pneumonia if they’re not tended to early.
RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, can require urgent care.
Brooke Cummings' 8-year-old son was diagnosed with RSV after he was taken to the ER. The virus can cause parents to worry.
"Just watching him on the camera and just hear(ing) him, the trouble breathing and catching his breath, I cannot name sleepless nights that I stood over him and watched him or put him in our bed because I was too scared to let him sleep by himself,” Cummings said.
Gardner reminds parents to be cautious when it comes to using over-the-counter medicines when it comes to treating the sniffles at home.
"You can go to the store and it's just mind-boggling the number of cold and cough remedies for children,” she said. “It’s because a lot of them don't work too well, I'll be honest with you. Under 2 years old, the cough and cold remedies at the store or not often recommended, and can be dangerous so I recommend staying with just plain Tylenol, generic acetaminophen or Motrin or Advil."
As for treating a cough, she recommends honey. She also recommends that parents get the flu shot for their children who are at least 6 months old.
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