COLORADO SPRINGS — A local doctor says the stomach flu has been going around Colorado Springs, and he has been helping more sick children.
I spoke with Dr. Vu, a medical physician at Matthews-Vu, Healthcare for Children and Adults in the Springs. He says he has noticed a rise in the number of stomach flu cases, especially among children.
Dr. Vu says if your child is sick, it’s important to take them to your family physician for a full evaluation. Dr. Vu says a Covid-19 test will clarify if your child has Covid or a different virus. However, his team doesn’t always need to test for Covid-19.
“If someone has only G.I. symptoms and does not have respiratory symptoms, then a lot of the times we don’t test, we just treat it like the stomach flu,” said Vu.
Of course, if you are still concerned that your child might have Covid-19, you can always request a Covid test.
You might have noticed that more people seem to be getting other types of colds and the flu this season.
Vu believes it’s good that people are getting back to their regular routines since the start of the pandemic. However, he says less people are wearing masks and washing their hands, which is causing germs to spread.
“And we have been transmitting these viruses for years and years through contact and now we are getting back to that, where we are seeing more viral infections going around,” said Vu.
Dr. Vu says since we have been extra cautious by staying home, masking up and washing our hands frequently for two years, our immunity to certain viruses is now low. He believes it’s quote “good we are getting back to our lives,” but we should still wash our hands and be cautious.
Vu says parents who have sick children at home should especially wash their hands frequently. The stomach flu can be taken care of with extra fluids and rest.
