Some health experts are calling the current high rates of flu, RSV and COVID a “tripledemic” and Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez knows firsthand how scary that is for parents. She’s a pediatrician at Columbia University and mother to a 14-month-old son, who was hospitalized earlier this year when he got pneumonia after a viral illness.
“It was really, really scary,” Bracho-Sanchez says of her son William's illness. “So in addition to relating to my patients, of course, as their pediatrician, I am relating in this moment as a mom who has had her own child get sick and develop a complication from a viral illness this season.”
Now she’s taking extra precautions to help keep her son, who goes to daycare, and her family healthy. These are the six steps Bracho-Sanchez is taking to protect her son’s health during the
“tripledemic.”
- Keeping up-to-date on vaccinations - Her son has been vaccinated against COVID and the flu, which she recommends for all kids six months and older. Bracho-Sanchez says it’s safe for kids to get both of those vaccine shots at the same time and that it’s important for adult caregivers to also get vaccinated against both.
- Watching for symptoms - Most of the time, kids who get colds will get better at home with no complications. But if your child is dehydrated, has a fever that lasts three days or longer or they’re getting worse or experiencing respiratory distress, then it’s time to get medical help.
- Limiting indoor gatherings - Bracho-Sanchez and her family will be skipping things that are less meaningful to them and prioritizing events that are most important to them.
- Wearing face masks - She says she and her husband still wear face masks in crowded, indoor spaces because they don’t do any harm and “can actually bring some protection.”
- Staying home when sick - It’s tough to miss work when your child is sick, but if her son is having cold or flu-like symptoms she will keep him home to prevent the spread of germs.
- Washing hands - “Hand washing can absolutely help us prevent COVID, influenza, RSV and so many other things that are circulating right now,” Bracho-Sanchez says. So keep it up.
Source: Good Morning America
Scott's Thoughts:
- If it’s good enough for this pediatrician mom, it’s good enough for me!
- If it is crowded at family gatherings, I am not above putting on a mask.
- Hopefully everybody exercises a little common sense and is fully vaccinated and boosted.