Enterovirus, Cold and Flu Season—It’s Time to Take Precautions!
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In case you haven’t been keeping up with the latest health news these past few weeks, there is a respiratory virus called Enterovirus D68 that has been spreading rapidly throughout the U.S. This is the first time this virus has been detected in the U.S. since 1962, and has been very uncommon until this year.
Infants and young kids up to about 13 years of age are at the greatest risk of contracting this virus—and is especially dangerous for those with a history of asthma. Its symptoms are similar to the common cold (sneezing, coughing, runny nose), but after a day or two, can cause difficulty breathing and if it gets bad, may require a trip to the hospital.
With Enterovirus spreading, and cold and flu season just around the corner (not to mention back to school, which means a greater exposure to shared germs), we need to be extra cautious and make sure our kids practice good hygiene while they are at school, attending after school activities, etc., to keep our homes and environments clean of any unwanted bacteria that could make us all sick!
Here are some of my friendly reminders to help reduce the chances that you or your child gets sick this season:
- Wash hands regularly and thoroughly with soap
- Disinfect and frequently clean household surfaces and toys
- Avoid sharing objects and close contact with other sick kids
- Make sure kids get enough sleep—they need this time to recover and heal
- Ensure your child stays hydrated. I detailed the signs and symptoms of dehydration to look out for in my last blog (courtesy of DripDrop the company I’m a spokesperson for!)
- Keep sick children at home. Not only do they need to rest, but it minimizes its spread to other kids.
While there is no vaccine for the Enterovirus right now, we can certainly take precautions to reduce the chances of our kids getting sick this cold and flu season. Hopefully we’ll knock it our for another 40+ years (or better yet… forever!)
Wishing you all good health! If you’d like to sample DripDrop send me an email! Kids love that taste!
