GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — Doctors in West Michigan are warning families to be cautious as flu cases — especially among children — are beginning to rise.
Corewell Health pediatrician Dr. Leah Peirce said that children who catch the flu are “getting sick very suddenly,” and that “the classic symptoms are fever, sometimes really high fevers, cough, stuffy nose, sore throat, [and] body aches.”
Peirce said flu cases typically peak in the winter months. Last year, that peak came in February following an especially severe flu season, during which 14 children died in Michigan.
With the holidays approaching, Peirce encouraged parents to consider flu vaccinations.
"There is a flu mist version of the vaccine, which means that it's a mist that goes in the nose and kids two and up can get that... so they don't even necessarily have to get a flu shot. And then I'd just like to say again, how important it is that kids get their flu shots, because flu can be really severe in kids under five. The younger kids are the more dangerous it can be and any kid age six months and up, can get a flu shot. It's not too late."
Doctors recommend reaching out to a pediatrician if a child under five becomes sick to see if Tamiflu might help. The antiviral treatment can shorten the duration of illness and reduce potential complications.
Peirce also noted that strep throat is circulating right now.
“The classic symptoms of strep are a sudden sore throat. You might look in the back of the throat and it looks red. There might be some white patches in there as well, and then fever,” she said. “But there are some other symptoms of strep that people don't know as much about. Sometimes it can cause a bellyache and a headache, and then it can also cause a full body red, bumpy rash.”
Health experts remind families to practice good hand hygiene and to stay home when feeling unwell to help slow the spread of illness.
FOX 17 will go in-depth this week with Corewell Health and the Kent County Health Department to discuss updated vaccine guidance and recommendations for staying healthy during the holiday season.
Watch for the stories on FOX 17 Morning News.
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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