Common cold and flu season beginning to flare up

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Pediatricians are busy with kids of every age coming in with cold symptoms. But why are so many kids showing signs of sickness? Experts say this is actually a relatively normal cold and flu season, but the COVID-19 precautions of years past are making it slightly easier for kids to pick up the common cold.

“Last year everyone was in masks, not in schools, not in work, so we weren’t seeing nearly the number of viruses we are seeing now,” said Urgent Care for Children Nurse Practitioner Vivi Tucker.

Those precautions paired with social distancing limited the number of illnesses our immune systems had to fight off.

“There is a lot of viruses going around. There is more than one virus that causes the common cold and we are seeing quite a few different things going through the community,” said Urgent Care for Children Clinical Director Misty Barrett.

Both Urgent Care for Children employees stressing if your child is displaying signs of sickness that you should get them checked out. One local pediatrician is reminding those who visit that getting sick is a part of growing up, and it allows our immune system to grow.

“What I like to remind parents of is what is normal and expected for a child in the first year or two of life, especially for children in daycare. So for a normal healthy kid, with a normal immune system we expect them to catch twelve to fifteen viral infections in the first year,” said Fairhope Pediatrics President Dr. Katrina Skinner.

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