MIDTOWN (WXYZ) — It’s fall in Michigan and the beautiful burst of colors that make our state an autumn destination can also be a source of congestion, itchy eyes and sneezing.
But with autumn allergies in bloom and the start of the cold and flu season, how can you tell if you or your kids are experiencing fall allergies or something more serious? For parents, it can be a challenge.
"It makes you feel helpless, especially if it's bad to the point where they're just, like, moping around or I just need that extra love and attention."
I met Latrice Butler, a mother of five and her ten-year-old son, Antoine, in Midtown. Latrice says with years of experience in healthcare and as a Mom, managing and deciphering fall illness gets easier. But she says it still requires paying close attention.
"Now that he's turned, he's more aware," Latrice said. "He's cognitive. He understands when his body is going through something that is not normal."
Health experts, like DMC Pediatrician Dr. Kevin Dazy, encourage parents to pay close attention to their child’s symptoms even if they are managing the illness from home. He says pay attention to when symptoms started, how long they've been around, how they’re changing.
"I want to know where it's sounding like that cough is coming from and how severe it is, because that's really, really going to tell us what we can do about it," Dr. Dazy said.
If you’re trying to figure out what you or your child are fighting there are some ways to tell the illnesses apart:
- Fall Allergies often triggered by mold and pollen often present with a runny nose, sneezing, itchy eyes. And can last for weeks or months
- The common cold often brings a cough, congestion, sore throat, slight fever.
- The Flue and COVID-19 can cause Fever, fatigue, body aches. COVID-19 may include loss of taste or smell.
- The flu and almost a dozen other viruses can cause croup which presents with a distinct barking cough.
And then there’s whooping cough which is a highly contagious bacterial infection.
In fact the US is currently experiencing the worst whooping cough outbreak in a decade. The CDC says in the most recent reporting week, there were five times as many cases compared to the same period in 2023.
Whooping cough starts as a mild cold but can intensify into a severe cough within a couple of weeks.
"It only takes a little bit of inflammation in the wrong spot for oxygen exchange did not occur very often," Dr. Dazy said.
And that inflammation is responsible for the telltale whooping sound during inhalation.
So when should you get help? First, if your child’s cold appears to be getting worse after a week or if your child has really harsh coughs and appears to have a hard time speaking or can't catch their breath even at rest.
"Those would be signs like some of these to be seen right away as they don't have much time potentially doing something bad could really happen," Dr. Dazy said.
For Latrice, knowing her children’s “baseline” helps her catch any concerning changes early on.
"How they act, how they interact with other kids," Latrice said.
Dr. Dazy is also reminding his patient to get the annual flu shot.
You can also have a discussion with your provider about the appropriateness of the covid shot for you and your family.
You’ll also want to make sure your kids are up to date on their routine childhood vaccinations, which includes whooping cough.
