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“Good morning class, I’ll be your teacher today. My name is Dr. Mom….” That’s what I say to my kids every time I want to teach them about something serious. With those silly words, they know it’s time to listen up because I have something important to say. So, I say to you…

Good morning class, I’ll be your teacher today. My name is Dr. Mom….

For parents, the pace of the entire universe seems to be set by the school year. Traffic ebbs and flows with summertime and school closings. Business and community activities seem to peak when the kids are in school and lull when they’re off. And it’s no different in healthcare, where the volume of sick visits spikes right around this time of year, about one month into school.

By now, the kids have had adequate time to inoculate one another and the bugs have had enough time to incubate. Right about now is when we usually see an influx of sniffles, fevers, rashes and reverse peristalsis (a classier term for puke.)

Most childhood illnesses are viral – measles, mumps, rubella, rotavirus (the wicked GI virus), coxsackie virus (hand-foot-mouth disease), mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr), rhinovirus (the common cold), polio and chicken pox (you know these two) and even influenza (the flu).

Even though they can can make children very sick, they are usually self-limiting – which means that they will run their courses and resolve in time, sometimes up to 10 days. Symptoms may include fever, fatigue, achy muscles and joints, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion and rash (sounds like the side effect profile of most medications you see advertised on TV). Of those listed, only rotavirus and influenza do NOT come with some sort of rash. You can check out the federal Centers for Disease Control  or see Merck’s Home Health Handbook for comprehensive look at the viral family of illnesses.

The recommendation for viral infections is to treat the symptoms – reduce the fever, stay well hydrated and eat a bland diet. No amount of antibiotic will cure a viral infection. Antibiotics work at the level of bacterial cellular reproduction. Viral reproduction is different and therefore will not be affected by antibiotics, although some viruses do have medications which can limit the severity of symptoms and shorten the duration of illness. Tamiflu is one medication known to help in treating early symptoms of the flu.

These viral infections tend to be highly contagious, especially chicken pox. The child is considered contagious until all of the skin lesions have crusted over. For most of the other viral infections, it’s usually by the time that the fever breaks and symptoms start to resolve that the child is no longer contagious and can go back to school.

I’m going to go on a quick tangent here, but this is a good segue into what I see as a public health emergency. As a mother of two, I can understand parents’ hesitancy to vaccinate their children. However, we are seeing a resurgence of illnesses that we had once considered nearly eradicated. Not vaccinating your children is not only dangerous for your family, but it’s also dangerous for others who have weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients, diabetics and people with HIV or AIDS. It is of utmost importance that your children are up-to-date with their vaccine schedule.

I know what you’re going to say, “but vaccines cause autism.” The article that made these claims wreaked havoc in the medical world, but its authors recently admitted that the article was fraudulent. If you have concerns about vaccines and autism, please read this article. The information contained in it is shocking.

The risk of severe medical complications in an unvaccinated child who contracts one of these illnesses is much higher than the risk of potential side effects from vaccines. It’s simple logic. I know which group I want to be a part of – and having seen many children die of common illnesses such as influenza and rotavirus, I could never imagine not taking such a simple precaution.

Back to our lesson….

Finally, it is important to know how to differentiate a common cold from something more severe. Any fever that persists longer than three days or doesn’t respond to medicines like Tylenol or Motrin should be evaluated by a physician. Any child who is not making urine or cannot be hydrated with oral fluids, often due to persistent vomiting, should be seen as well. Younger children often do not manifest the same symptoms as older children. Therefore, you should observe toddlers for irritability, refusing to eat, excessive fatigue or changes in behavior. Infants under the age of one can become very ill, very quickly. It’s always best to have a pediatrician or family physician evaluate an infant with a fever.

Occasionally, what may seem like a common cold or viral illness may be a bacterial infection such as pneumonia, strep or meningitis which MAY require antibiotics and could be life-threatening. If you’re uncertain, make sure you see a doctor. That’s why we’re here.

Although the viral illnesses are more common, bacterial and insect infections also affect the ebb and flow of our families’ health. Next week, boys and girls, we’ll discuss some common bacterial infections such as ear infections, pink eye, meningitis, strep throat and pneumonia. And in part three of this series brought to you by concerned parents everywhere, we’ll talk about the L and S words – lice and scabies.

Your homework this weekend… get your family some flu shots!!!

– Dr. Mom

Alexis Hugelmeyer, D.O. is the wife of Michael, mother of Isabella, 5, and Lance, 2, and a family physician whose passion is hands-on manipulation for treatment and healing of any and every type of medical problem. She is administrative director of medical education and internship director at Peconic Bay Medical Center and also a private practitioner in Riverhead. A graduate of Villanova University and New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, she lives in Baiting Hollow.

Look for Dr. Mom every Saturday on Riverheadlocal.com

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