What’s Going Around: Allergies, asthma, colds

WellSpan Pediatric Medicine Physicians are seeing runny noses and common colds this week. They’re also treating asthma attacks and seasonal allergies.

“To help keep children healthy, I recommend helping your child get plenty of rest and drink lots of liquids to help prevent common colds and recover quickly,” said Dr. Christopher Russo, medical director of pediatrics at WellSpan Health. “For those who may struggle with asthma, please make sure your child has access to their asthma medication on hand to prevent a worsening attack. If children are struggling with allergies, there are some over-the-counter options available to offer relief. As always, your child’s doctor is here to help if your child needs additional assistance or support.”

UPMC Children’s Community Pediatrics is seeing an upper respiratory virus in addition to diarrhea, vomiting, and sore throats. They note all COVID, flu and strep tests this week were negative.

Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Physicians Roseville Pediatrics says now that school is officially underway, they’re seeing a lot of viral colds. They’re seeing an increase in hand, foot and mouth and COVID cases in pre-schoolers. Strep is still making the rounds in the older age groups and there’s been a sharp increase in fall allergies as farmers are cutting their corn fields. They have also seen asthma exacerbations in higher numbers in the last week as well, which is common during the first few weeks of the school year with the increased exposure to viruses and colder air.

Dr. Joan Thode offered the following advice:

“If you have a child with asthma or a history of frequent wheezing, now is the time to ensure that you have refills on your prescribed inhalers, the school or daycare has copies of your child’s asthma action plan from your child’s primary care provider, and allergy medication is started if your child’s asthma is triggered by allergies.

Kids and even most teens need a spacer to adequately administer their inhaler medication. Make sure that their spacer is with their medication. It’s important to ensure that all caregivers of your child are knowledgeable about their asthma medications and how to administer them to your child.

Asthma is a disease caused by persistent inflammation in the lungs. It is a smoldering disease that damages the lung tissue with the constant inflammation if not treated properly. Albeit rarely, asthma can be a deadly disease and therefore warrants respect for the potential severity as well as preparatory steps to prevent exacerbations.”

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