Feel like everyone you know in Wichita is sick? What health officials say is going around
Sedgwick County health officials expect to see an uptick in respiratory viruses this fall following the start of a new school year and the approaching holiday season, but the uptick stands to be less severe than last fall and winter.
“There’s a pattern, particularly around the holidays, which are just around the corner ... that we expect to see an uptick: after Thanksgiving, in December and January. Right now, it’s a little bit less than last year, but we still are seeing that uptick,” Sedgwick County Health Department Director Adrienne Byrne said Tuesday.
The county has also seen an “expected” rise of COVID-19 cases. From Aug. 1 to Aug. 31, Ascension Via Christi hospitals saw a total of 38 visits from patients with confirmed COVID-19.
Johnna Costello, a nurse practitioner with Ascension Immediate Care, said there has been an increase in upper respiratory infections at immediate care centers in the Wichita area.
“We’re definitely seeing lots of coughs and colds,” Costello confirmed.
This bump in virus activity is expected, Costello said, with patients usually being school-aged or toddlers. Along with COVID-19 cases, flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), there have also been a lot of cases of strep.
“We’re really having mostly strep, which isn’t really a [upper respiratory infection] but, you know, people kind of think of it as the same,” Costello said.
The uptick in respiratory viruses is expected to continue, too. Costello said the normal cough and cold viruses are expected to decrease as soon as the county enters “full-fledged” flu season, so a decrease in respiratory viruses will probably not be noticed until spring.
As far as hospitalizations go, Jessica Spore, the director of infection prevention at Ascension Via Christi Health Systems, said the system’s hospitals are not experiencing an increase in hospitalizations for COVID-19, flu or RSV as of this week. The hospital has less than 10 such patients for the month of September, she said.
When is flu season in Sedgwick County?
The flu has been detected in Sedgwick County already this year, which is early compared to previous years, the county’s health department director told The Wichita Eagle Tuesday.
Emergency departments typically start monitoring for flu in October, while it is usually detected starting in late September. Flu season usually runs through the fall and winter, with the highest number of cases experienced from December to February, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Symptoms of the flu include, according to the CDC:
- Fever
- Sore throat
- Headache
- Body aches
- Runny nose
- Cough
Puking could also be a symptom, the CDC says, but that’s more common in children than adults. You could also have the flu without having a fever.
Ways to prevent respiratory illness this flu season
To prevent the spread of viruses, it’s important to keep your distance from people if you’re experiencing any symptoms. You should also keep your distance from other symptomatic individuals.
Byrne recommends people to get the flu and the new COVID vaccines, which can be administered at the same time.
The health department recommends people to receive the flu vaccine starting late September, while the new COVID shot is expected as soon as next week. The flu shot is available at pharmacies, as well as through the Sedgwick County Health Department.
As for treatment for a respiratory infection, Costello said to not overlook over-the-counter medications, as they can definitely help.
“We do actually talk around here quite a bit [about] how it seems that people just forget or maybe they don’t want to take over-the-counter medications, and they are actually beneficial, just [with] symptomatic treatment,” Costello said. “If that’s not happening or, of course, if anything is concerning to someone, then they should be evaluated.”
This story was originally published September 14, 2023 at 12:44 PM.
