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Those who have children know they catch every germ, and they bring them home. The state health department said it’s seeing an increase in some viruses.
“Whoop, cough cough cough, whoop,” said Jonathan Gold.
Viruses like whooping cough and COVID-19 are on the rise. And with school quickly approaching, MSU Health Pediatrician Jonathan Gold said it’s a good time to be reminded of the necessary precautions.
“The typical things we always recommend for infectious illnesses will help like covering your cough and washing your hands and staying home when you’re sick,” said Gold.
For both the whooping cough and COVID, experts also recommend staying up to date on vaccinations.
“For our youngest infants, their whooping cough symptoms don’t always seem like a common cold,” said University of Michigan Health Pediatrician Debra Langlois. “They can present whooping cough with something called apnea where they stop breathing and that’s an emergency respiratory distress.”
Jackson County Deputy Health Officer said viruses like COVID-19 are certainly not disappearing.
“I don’t think that we’re going to see in Michigan another mask mandate or quarantine related to COVID-19,” said Matthew Budd.
“I think that the public health measures right now are really up to individuals and communities and your local public health department will encourage you to take steps to stay safe.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were just 3,000 (3,089) COVID-19 cases reported in Michigan last week. Prior to that week, it was more than 3,500 (3,520).
“We are here to help people figure out how to remain safe, how to remain healthy, how to make appropriate decisions that keep themselves free from a disease,” said Budd.
Experts say anyone with whooping cough should stay home until five days of antibiotic treatment has been completed. Regarding COVID-19, Budd said there will be a vaccine update in the fall.
Overall, it’s important for each person to evaluate their own risk factors as viruses won’t be going away anytime soon.