DENVER — Colorado doctors are sounding the alarm over concerns of a "quademic" amid rising cases of norovirus, coronavirus, RSV and the flu among children.
Sierra Reaux-McNeil's son, 1-year-old Sirhan, has been in and out of doctor's offices. He first came down with the flu.
"He started to have a fever and was just very run down, tired," Reaux-McNeil recalled. "He was not standing or trying to walk."
It didn't take long for Sirhan's symptoms to land him in the emergency room.
"It was really overwhelming, and the fact that the hospital was already so packed with kids that were sick was also a startling thing," Reaux-McNeil said.
As soon as he started to feel better, the 1-year-old contracted RSV.
"We had to quarantine him away from his brother. He was crying to hang out with his brother. It was just really heartbreaking," said Reaux-McNeil.
Doctors have been seeing more and more cases like this.
"On this particular day, we had flu A, Influenza A Positive, about 20 cases," said Dr. Olukemi Akinrinola, a pediatrician with AdventHealth. "It was really alarming. Some of them had flu and also had RSV. We also had some that would have flu, RSV and COVID."
Several of these viruses have similar symptoms: runny nose, coughs, and some sort of fever. Dr. Akinrinola said there are key differences to help identify each illness.
For the flu, the fever will be very high — 102° and higher.
"If you see high fever, chills, lethargy, then that's very likely flu," Akinrinola explained.
For RSV, she said the nose is non-stop running, and the cough is very deep.
"RSV tends to deal with the lower respiratory. So you hear a lot of deep coughing and respiratory distress," she said. "Wheezing or just, you can see the retractions of the chest area. So that's RSV."
COVID can be complicated to identify ahead of time because it can be present without any symptoms. However, parents can tell if a sickness is COVID based on the lymph nodes, according to Akinrinola.
"If you have a lot of lymph nodes, if you're feeling like your neck is hurting and you feel some form of lymph nodes, so they're inflamed," said Akinrinola.
Norovirus will present similarly to the flu. One notable difference is that the fever will not be as high, typically staying between 99° and 101°. Norovirus has severe symptoms but does not last as long as the flu.
Once kids start feeling better, they're not out of the woods yet. Akinrinola said that's the time when they are more susceptible to other illnesses.
"The immune system was low [so it's] easier for them to get everything else," said Akinrinola. "Even if the symptoms are better, keep the kids a little bit away from lots of people. Let them really recoup their immune system."
After medical treatment, Sirhan is now feeling better.
"You know your child, and kind of trust your gut a little bit in in the flu season. I'll be honest, it's probably better safe than sorry," said Reaux-McNeil.
Doctors concur that if your child is not feeling well, it's always best to have them checked out by a professional. Akinrinola is also urging parents to make sure their kids are vaccinated against the flu.
"When the kid is laying down... with the bad flu and we need to send to the hospital, [it's] very likely [they] did not get the flu vaccine," she said.
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