Flu season starting early this year, experts say

PITTSBURGH — Flu season is starting early.

If your kids are coming home with some kind of illness, it’s going around.

Channel 11′s Jennifer Tomazic talked to a pediatrician with AHN, who said the flu is showing up a bit earlier this year. Typically, it comes in around December.

Dr. Joseph Aracri says it’s the return of the respiratory virus season, one that we haven’t seen in two years.

“So we’re seeing the body respond a little bit more than usual to some of these respiratory viruses, but that being said,  most kids are doing very well with it,” said Aracri.

He said it’s normal for kids to get one cold a month, and for it to last for two weeks.

When a cold lasts longer than two weeks, or if your child has a fever for more than three days or has any difficulty breathing, you should call your pediatrician.

Aracri says because of the pandemic, his office is seeing more parents being required to bring their kids in by their school districts.

“The school districts, everybody is doing their own thing this year. We’re having a hard time keeping up with it,” Aracri said.”Some schools are requiring a COVID test to get back in done by us, in a pediatric office, as opposed to a home test.”

As for the flu, Aracri says shots are the best prevention.

“With two years without being exposed to the influenza virus, there is less and less natural immunity in the area, so we’re really hoping kids come in and get their flu shots,” he said.

Aracri advises that if your child hasn’t ever had a flu shot, and they’re under 9, they need to get two shots, a month apart.

After that, they only need one per year.

Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW

Report: Federal grants helped most charter school recipients succeed; 14% still failed

©2022 Cox Media Group