0: There is a strong possibility of a triple demic this winter.
So currently across the country, children's hospital beds are 75% full,
primarily driven by RSV and other viral respiratory infections. In children.
The rate of flu is increasing at a faster rate occurring two months earlier than
usual. We're seeing a lot of cases in the south, the southeast, and the Midwest.
However,
the rate of covid cases and hospitalizations is currently stable because of
that. Patients ask me frequently,
is there a way to determine just based on their symptoms, which virus they have?
So unfortunately,
it's very difficult to determine that just based on symptoms alone.
I highly recommend doing a covid test at home just to rule that out.
And then you can also go to your doctor's office urgent care,
or your local emergency department, where we have viral respiratory panels,
which can check for covid, flu, rsv, and a number of other viruses.
That being said, which signs of symptoms should you be watching out for,
especially in your kids,
and determine when you need to go to the emergency room?
Fever in and of itself is not a bad thing, but remember,
a fever has to be 100.4 or higher to be considered a fever.
You can treat with over the counter Tylenol or Motrin,
the signs and symptoms you should be concerned about,
and your kids are irritability, fussiness,
not wanting to eat or drink water,
and especially when they start to have wheezing or shortness of breath.
Those are the concerning signs and symptoms when you should consider taking your
child to the local emergency department.