As COVID-19 cases decline, respiratory illnesses are on the rise

Local pediatricians have seen an uptick in respiratory cases especially in children.

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – If your child has been showing signs of a cough or respiratory problems, it’s not uncommon. Pediatricians say those cases are on the rise.

“We are seeing an uptick in respiratory viruses in children over the past month or two, particularly in something called parainfluenza which causes croup,” Children First Pediatrics Dr. Michael Applegate, MD said. “We’re seeing more of that in months past.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a health advisory on June 10, encouraging health professionals to test for RSV among patients with acute respiratory illness who test negative for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Dr. Applegate said these viruses typically peak in the winter time, coinciding with cold and flu season, but the pandemic changed that.

Many kids weren’t at daycare during the pandemic. They were social distancing and isolating. Now that things are opening back up, they’re being exposed to more people.

“All that combination of things certainly decreased the spread of respiratory illness throughout and that includes wearing a mask,” Dr. Applegate said.

Well how much does mask wearing contribute to the spread of respiratory illness? Research suggests not that much.

“The Annals of Internal Medicine suggested if you just isolate mask wearing, that there wasn’t a statistical difference in the reduction of some of these respiratory viruses,” Dr. Applegate said.

To help prevent illnesses like croup, make sure to wash your hands and even children’s toys in between use.