Flu and other contagious bugs pose threats to kids over spring break

Flu season is not over and children are the primary target of a strain that has been on an upswing in Fresno just in time for it to spread over spring break.

A host of other viruses that cause fever, sneezing and coughing also are widespread and are causing potentially serious illness in young children and adults with chronic health conditions, such as asthma.

"We thought the flu season was on the way out and then influenza B struck," said Dr. Nicole Calvillo, a Kaiser Permanente primary care physician in Clovis. (An earlier version of this story misspelled Calvillo's last name.)

Influenza B typically affects children more than adults, and parents have been calling doctors to say their children tested positive for the virus, Calvillo said. She's been giving Tamiflu, an anti-viral medication, to parents to prevent the spread of the virus.

Until recently, an H3N2 strain of influenza A had been the flu that caused hospitals, such as Kaweah Delta Medical Center in Visalia, to erect tents in parking lots to handle overflows of flu patients. And the virus has been severe. Fresno and Tulare counties each have reported four deaths. California has had 232 flu-related deaths of people younger than 65 (the state does not count deaths of older adults).

It's too soon to know if Influenza A has reached its peak, but cases have begun to decrease in the central San Joaquin Valley even as influenza B has begun to take its place, sending more people to doctors and hospital emergency rooms.

A spring surge of influenza B is not unusual, said David Luchini, assistant director of the Fresno County Department of Public Health. The strain strikes children more often than adults, he said. The health department is monitoring its course.

Other viruses can mimic flu symptoms, and Tulare County has been seeing a rash of rhinovirus and enterovirus – similar to common cold viruses – plus respiratory syncytial virus, better known as RSV, which is especially dangerous for infants. The county also has had cases of human metapneumovirus, which can cause respiratory disease in children and adults.

Tulare County had a cluster of 36 fever cases last week that sent people to hospital emergency rooms, said Tammie Weyker-Adkins, a spokeswoman for the Tulare County Public Health Branch. Influenza accounted for 11 of the cases but the remainder were other respiratory viruses, she said.

"We're seeing more severity," she said. "A lot of people may be unaware of how serious having these respiratory viruses can be."

Weyker-Adkins said children who are having breathing problems need to be seen by a doctor. Anyone who feels like they are getting better and has a sudden recurrence of symptoms also should see a doctor.

Washing hands can help prevent the spread of the viruses, she said. As for the flu, she said Tulare County is "definitely telling people it's still flu season and you can still get your flu shot."

Both influenza A and B strains have the same symptoms of fever, sore throat and cough. The flu vaccine fights both, but it has not been as effective as hoped. But the flu vaccine can lighten flu symptoms, and doctors advise people who have not had a shot to get one.

It could be too late, however, for protection over spring break. The vaccine takes two weeks to be working at full strength, and that will not be enough time to protect children and parents who are traveling to amusement parks and family gatherings next week.

Avoid people who are coughing and sneezing, Calvillo said. But people can be infectious with influenza for a couple of days before symptoms appear, and she does worry about people traveling and spreading viruses. "You don't know if the person sitting next to you is sick, so it's definitely a risk."

This story was originally published March 21, 2018 at 4:26 PM with the headline "Flu and other contagious bugs pose threats to kids over spring break."