Colds, the flu, croup, Rhinovirus, strep throat, RSV, Roseola, and hand-foot-and-mouth disease are all back, with cases appearing in a Charlotte-area practice.
CHARLOTTE, NC — With kids back to school and sports and birthday parties back in full swing, it’s no surprise that kids are getting sick more often.
But for parents, it’s quite a headache. Children have to stay at home, get tested for COVID-19, with results usually taking days.
So, what exactly is happening? WCNC Charlotte spoke with Dr. Sumon Bhowmick, a pediatrician at Novant Health Waverly Pediatrics and Primary Care to find out.
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“What’s old is new again,” said Dr. Bhowmick.
After seeing barely any cases in 2020, he says the common cold, flu, croup, rhinovirus, strep throat, RSV, Roseola and hand-foot-and-mouth disease are all back, with cases appearing in his practice.
“We’re seeing a huge increase in all the classic respiratory diseases that are only transmitted at this time of year,” he said, saying it’s a direct correlation to people being back together again.
dr. Bhowmick said that while the common cold is common, today’s world is just more complicated.
“We just have this specter or cloud of COVID-19 on top of everything else that’s going on, that’s why we might be a little more arrogant in the past, that if we might have a stuffy nose or if we’re overloaded again We’re still going to school and trying to get through it,” he said. “The new recommendations are, stay home if you’re feeling sick in any way or if you’re a little under the weather.”
If your child goes to kindergarten or school, they will likely have to test negative for COVID-19 before returning, leaving parents like Maya Robinson-Napier feeling fatigued.
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She says her kids missed 7 days of school and have to be tested twice, which she says meant standing in line for hours, plus multiple co-payments for virtual sick visits. Ultimately, she says her children were negative for COVID-19.
So when should you definitely get tested for COVID-19?
“What might help make the decision for us, of course, is exposure,” said Dr. Bhowmic. “If we know someone who has had exposure and you get these non-specific symptoms of feeling exhausted or feverish, runny nose, stuffy nose, headache, feeling alerted like you just got hit by a truck – those are all the symptoms that are reported. associated with a lot of viruses — but if it lasts more than a few days and all the treatment methods you usually do with your fluids and rehydration and rest and chicken soup and all the things you should do when you feel bad and it doesn’t work — that’s when you should come see us so we can help you make that decision.
A decision, he said, can be difficult for parents whose kids may have runny noses.
“A COVID-19 test is something that will give us a lot of good information, but it also comes with its own rules and limitations, if you are being tested for COVID-19 then you have to stay at home until we get the test results back,” he said. he.
Unless your child has been directly exposed to COVID-19, Dr. Bhowmick to see your pediatrician, who can quickly help you rule out the long list of other possibilities.
“We have the capacity test for all those rapid ones and send labs for respiratory viruses, even some bacteria, strep, RSV, flu, COVID of course,” he said.
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