Spring is a refreshing time, especially after the long and cold winter months. However, as beautiful and attractive as it is, with its long and warm days, you might find yourself frequently searching for “pediatric near me”. Spring awakens the earth and boosts our spirits with beauty and promise, but it can also bring about a long list of illnesses.
As you enjoy yourself, you also need to know about the common sickness in spring so you can be better prepared and you can also avoid what’s avoidable.
Why The Upswing?
There are a lot of temperatures and environmental changes that emerge during spring. As a result, there are a lot of seasonal allergies experienced. These fluctuations can cause an irritation of the nasal passages which might limit the immune system’s ability to properly defend the body. With its ability to fight off invaders compromised, the body will become more vulnerable to certain infections and common sickness in spring.
In addition, because of the warmer temperatures of spring, people tend to start spending a lot of time outdoors. Well, that’s to be expected given that most of winter is spent behind closed doors. As a result, those who go outside to enjoy the warmer days often expose themselves to several bugs, which then results in illness.
Springtime also ushers in a lot of travel. There are many conferences, conventions and sporting events during spring. As people travel more, they get exposed to a wide variety of bacteria and viruses which can cause a lot of common sickness in spring.
Let’s look at some diseases that you have to watch out for during springtime.
Allergies
Springtime is a beautiful time, with all the budding trees, blooming flowers and a lot of growing bushes. For all this to happen, pollen is needed. This is what causes a spike in the incidence of allergies. In some areas, spring allergies are a common spring sickness that can even begin as early as February. Additionally, the showers that occur during spring can boost the growth of mold, both outdoors and indoors. Not all species of mold are harmful, but there are a few that can result in some serious allergies. These include the following:
- Alternaria
- Aspergillus
- Cladosporium,
- Penicillium.
Because of the high likelihood of allergies in spring, you have to be quite proactive. Do not wait for you to catch an allergy and then start looking for ways to deal with it. Always try to prevent yourself from getting allergies in the first place. This can save you from hours of sneezing and wheezing. You should consult your doctors and start with allergy meds about 2 weeks before you expect any symptoms. Also, it’s very crucial to follow pollen counts online through weather forecasts.
Asthma
Asthma is not necessarily a seasonal sickness but there is a very high occurrence of attacks during springtime. You will find that there are also a lot of asthma triggers outdoors during that same time. These include changes in temperature, cleaning chemicals, pollen and insect repellants. It’s not only the outdoors that’s filled with triggers, there are also some indoor ones like dust, mold, and cleaning chemicals. Whether outdoor or indoor, Asthma triggers can be quite problematic during springtime. If you are an asthma patient, always have your peak flow meters and emergency inhalers at the ready.
Rhinovirus
The common cold is a common spring sickness. About half of all the common colds are caused by Rhinoviruses. These viruses are quite problematic because they are spread very easily. You should do your research and get to understand how you can implement effective prevention strategies for this seasonal sickness. For instance, you can have much success with washing hands regularly and avoiding touching your nose, eyes and mouth.
Flu
One would have thought that the flu would go away with the winter. Unfortunately, that is not the case. This seasonal sickness will not stop just because it’s warmer. Flu viruses do very well when it’s humid. You should therefore be very vigilant and wash your hands at all times. There are a lot of other flu prevention tactics that you can employ, especially if you like to travel a lot.
Lyme disease
Lyme disease is a common spring sickness transmitted by deer ticks. These ticks thrive in warmer, rainy spring weather. The small creatures usually become a lot more active once the temperatures reach above 35° F. With Lyme disease, the best that you can do is to employ avoidance strategies. When you are walking in areas where there is a lot of vegetation, you need to ensure that you apply tick repellant. You should also do this when you know you are going to be spending prolonged periods of time outdoors.
Ensure that you know the signs and symptoms of this disease. The most common one is a bull’s-eye rash. If you do get it, your doctor will prescribe some antibiotics. These usually work quite well. The most common ones that are used are doxycycline and amoxicillin and you will be requested to take them for a period of about 3 weeks. If the disease is at an advanced stage and you have cardiac or neurological symptoms, you might be put on IV antibiotics, like ceftriaxone or penicillin.
Gastroenteritis—particularly norovirus
Like rhinoviruses, noroviruses do quite well in spring when the weather is warmer. Unfortunately, these viruses are very contagious. The good news is that their symptoms do not last for a long time. You may just experience some stomach pain, cramps, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea for about 48 hours. If your child gets some of these symptoms, quickly search for “pediatric near me” so they can get attended to quickly.
When afflicted, make sure you protect your family and people you are usually in contact with. Most people who get this type of gastroenteritis remain contagious for up to 3 days following the disappearance of symptoms. There are other less common symptoms that include a low-grade fever, chills, muscle aches, headaches, and fatigue. The treatment for gastroenteritis is symptomatic. You should just be careful to wash your hands a lot and disinfect your bedding and other household items. If you are employed, stay at home until at least four days after you have recovered.
Conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis is another condition that seems to thrive in spring. It can however be easily mistaken for an allergic reaction. There are several causes of conjunctivitis including bacteria, viruses and it can even happen due to an allergy. It is the bacteria and viral types that you should worry most about because they can be very contagious.
Conjunctivitis is commonly known as pink eye, and it is most common among the younger ones. If your child shows any of the symptoms, just search for “ pediatric near me” and get them some medical attention. To prevent this disease, you should ensure that you wash your hands regularly and that you avoid touching the eyes unnecessarily. also seems to thrive in the spring, but can often be confused with allergy symptoms. Doctors usually treat symptoms but they will also put you on a course of antibiotics. If the underlying cause is an allergy, you will have to take some antihistamines as well.
There is a lot of pollen and bugs all around during springtime and some of the tips in this article can help you to avoid getting sick. The best way to stay healthy is to be informed and to take the necessary precautions and employ the right preventative measures. If you agree with the tips above or if you have further questions, feel free to leave a comment or get in touch with us. We would love to hear from you.
SOURCES
https://www.aafa.org/mold-allergy/
https://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/index.html
https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/index.html
