ATLANTA — Respiratory virus season is underway as students spend more time together in classrooms and are exposed to germs.
Amy Pridemore with Auburn University’s College of Nursing says younger children can be particularly susceptible to getting sick as their immune systems continue to develop.
“You put all of these children who carry germs in one room, and they’re all still developing their immune systems, and so the younger they are the more likely they are to get sick because they don’t have that strong immune system yet,” Pridemore said.
Pridemore says not every sniffle requires a trip to the doctor. She recommends first using an at-home flu or COVID-19 test.
To help prevent illness, Pridemore recommends frequent hand-washing, disinfecting high-touch surfaces and avoiding sharing drinks.
She also says getting a flu vaccine can help reduce the severity of the illness.
“Flu vaccine does help to make the course of the flu a lot less severe, and so when you do get the flu it’s not going to be a knock you down for five days it’s going to help your body fight it a lot more effectively,” Pridemore said.