Local doctors say the the number of flu cases are on the rise, especially among children.
Dr. Ryan Fulton, section chief of general pediatrics for Carilion Children’s in Daleville, warns that the flu can be very dangerous for children. In addition to high fevers, complications can include pneumonia, respiratory issues, dehydration, which can be serious especially for young infants.
He urges parents to get children over the age of 6 months vaccinated.
If a child is too young to be vaccinated, he says all others in the household should vaccinate to prevent the spread.
“Flu can be very dangerous for any age, particularly young infants, as well as pregnant women or the elderly. So the recommendation to vaccinate is really not only to protect yourself, but to protect those that either can’t give their vaccine or that are at higher incidence of having complications," Fulton said.
“We do recommend that anyone over the age of six months be vaccinated for flu. The perfect window to get vaccinated, unfortunately, has already passed because we want to start vaccinating in October, as that’s when flu season starts. But if you haven’t gotten your vaccine yet, that’s still okay. It’s important to get it vaccinated as soon as possible. Now that we know influenza is in our region, I do encourage everyone that can get vaccinated to get the flu vaccine. If you cannot vaccinate, let’s say you have a child under the age of six months and you’re unable to get them a flu vaccine, it’s important that everyone in the household is vaccinated for flu to insulate them from the potential of getting it," Fulton said.
He explained the flu is already impacting communities and schools. “We’ve seen several cases in our Botetourt office. Some few cases spread out throughout the valley and that’s kind of what we’re seeing right now,” Fulton said. “We anticipate that the cases will increase because it’s very early in the season, but we just want to keep it on everyone’s radar.”
As the holidays approach, prevention steps will be critical. In addition to vaccination, Fulton recommends teaching children proper hand washing and covering their mouths when they sneeze or cough