The flu, norovirus, RSV, COVID, strep and the common cold: You name it and it’s going around.
There is also concern about measles in New York.
Pediatricians caution if you have, or are around, babies younger than 6 months old, proceed with caution. They can’t get the MMR vaccine.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, measles spreads through the air. If someone's just breathing and they leave that vicinity, those airborne particles can stay for two hours after they're not even in the room. It can also be spread from droplets, such as those expelled by coughing and sneezing.
There have been hundreds of cases each year nationwide. For New York, the cases are mainly seen downstate. Regardless of where these cases are, it is concerning for medical professionals.
If your child is fully vaccinated, you don’t need to worry, according to health experts. If you’re pregnant, just be mindful of who you are around, especially if they have traveled outside of the U.S.
The elderly, immunocompromised, and again babies, are most at risk.
“It's really just a stark reminder that we need to get kids vaccinated because that's that's about what we did when the measles vaccine first came about, which was able to help us eradicate it," said Dr. Mahvash Madni, spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics and host of the Welcome to the Village podcast. "And now with lower vaccine rates, that's why we're seeing measles back again.”
The vaccine is a two-shot series. Once you have that second one, which is typically when you’re a child around kindergarten age, doctors say you are set for life.
So what are the signs and symptoms, and then treatment?
Symptoms are cough, fever, runny nose — pink eye can be a sign — and a rash.
For treatment, doctors say it has to run its course. Rashes can take a week or so to go away. You could have a cough that lasts a few weeks as well.