ATLANTA — While COVID numbers are not being reported at the same levels as at the height of the pandemic, cases are increasing according to public health officials. At the same time, flu and RSV season is ramping up, so pediatricians are getting busier.
Dr. Reshma Chugani, the lead physician at the Atlanta Children's Clinical Center, has noticed more patients coming in with a combination of illnesses. She said many of her patients were typically younger than five years old.
"I've seen lots of viral illnesses, strep throat, which is a bacterial illness, typical stomach type illness, and of course a little bit of coronavirus," Chugani said. "A lot of these viruses love colder weather, so we tend to see more of it in the fall and winter months, though we have seen it in the summer as well. All we saw was COVID for a long time. Now we’re seeing run-of-the-mill viruses, RSV, COVID, flu all mixed together.”
Chugani said with school fully back in session and the weather cooling off, she expects cases to ramp up gradually. To fight that potent mix of illnesses, she said prevention was better than treatment. She recommended the traditional flu vaccine, the recently released RSV vaccine and the latest COVID booster the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just approved.
"What we’re trying to do is really prevent hospitalizations and deaths, bad complications, long COVID," Chugani said. "So we might not be able to prevent every infection, but hopefully with the vaccination on board for whatever illness it is, your illness will be milder. You’re less likely to end up in the hospital and less likely to have a complication from that disease.”
Chugani said demand for COVID vaccinations had fallen off since surges during the pandemic. Some parents worry about the safety or effectiveness of the vaccines, but Chugani said each parent should consult their doctor.
Atlanta mother Brooke Beckert brought her daughter to the pediatrician to check on a cough. She said she trusted that vaccines worked from experience, data and science.
"It feels very distant, like things that happened a long time ago that we take for granted because we have vaccines," Beckert said. "We don't have to deal with those things. Have them get a shot for two seconds than a cold for a week at best. Some of them can drag out longer and at worst, a hospital visit."
Beckert said a little pain short term could make a major difference for her daughter in the long run. Besides vaccinations, medical experts suggest wearing a mask, distancing from those who might be sick, avoiding crowded places, washing your hands thoroughly and getting good air filtration to prevent flu, RSV and COVID.