During this time of the year, it’s not unusual to see an increase in incidents of flu, RSV, and COVID-19. These are all common respiratory illnesses associated with the fall and winter season due to people gathering more frequently indoors during colder conditions, allowing viruses to pass more easily on to those with weakened immune systems. While these common illnesses are familiar to everyone, emergency care physicians at McLaren Greater Lansing are also seeing an influx this season of other respiratory illnesses they say to watch out for.
“We are definitely treating common respiratory illnesses such as influenza A, RSV, and COVID, but this year we’ve seen even more of an influx on other respiratory illnesses such as pertussis, otherwise known as whooping cough, and mycoplasma (walking) pneumonia,” said Dr. Tressa Gardner, emergency medical director at McLaren Greater Lansing.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), both whooping cough and pneumonia cases have increased across the United States, especially in young children. Common symptoms may include a fever, nasal congestion, cough, and sore throat. While most respiratory illnesses can be hard to distinguish from one another, Dr. Gardner specifies some of the things you want to look out for to distinguish them.
“Whooping cough is a highly contagious condition that causes moderate to severe coughing fits,” said Dr. Gardner. “While other respiratory illnesses can have the same effect, one of the primary indicators of pertussis is the particularly high-pitched ‘whooping’ sound that a patient makes while coughing.”
Pneumonia, if left untreated, can often linger, leading to respiratory tract infections and other more severe conditions. If you have symptoms that are not going away after a week or continue to worsen, it’s important to get tested and seek medical care.
“The best way to know what you have and get a better understanding of your risks is to get tested, and that can be done at an urgent care center or the emergency room,” said Dr. Gardner.
An urgent care center can see patients who have mild to moderate symptoms that may linger over time or if you are not getting better. They can also test for respiratory illnesses such as flu, RSV, strep, and COVID-19. However, if you are experiencing more severe symptoms such as shortness of breath due to persistent coughing, a high fever (over 100.4 degrees), or difficulty eating and drinking, Dr. Gardner stresses that you should be seen at the emergency room for care.
“Regardless of the severity of your symptoms, if you feel you need care or have prolonged illness that won’t go away, it’s important to seek care and get treatment, and we can help you in the emergency room,” said Dr. Gardner.
The first line of defense during this winter season is to help stop the spread of illness and disease. Some precautions, such as social distancing and hand hygiene can help you avoid getting sick in the first place.
“Wash your hands often, or use hand sanitizer,” said Dr. Gardner. “Try to limit touching objects when you are out in public and stay home if you are feeling ill.”
McLaren Greater Lansing provides 24/7/365 emergency care for emergency and non-emergency situations. To help stop the spread of germs and illness, if you are feeling ill and need to be seen, you can conveniently check in online from the comfort of your home, and hold off coming into the emergency room until it’s close to your time of being seen. Click here to view real-time wait times or to check in online.
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