TOLEDO, Ohio — The Toledo-Lucas County Health Department said they've seen nearly 30 cases of pertussis, better known as whooping cough, in the county so far this year.
But that's not the only sickness going around. Nationwide Children's Hospital pediatrician, Dr. Noah Sutter, said his office is seeing a lot of kids for illnesses earlier in the school year than expected.
"We've been seeing more in the last month or two than we've probably seen in the last few years," Sutter said.
He said they've seen a recent spike in pneumonia, a sickness that he said starts with a virus and then turns into a bacterial infection.
"Between influenza which has hit earlier, RSV is hitting earlier. We're also seeing some other respiratory viruses hitting earlier than expected," Sutter said.
While he points out that school is a place where most of these illnesses spread, he said it's not the only one.
"A lot of activities, whether it's sports that kids are participating in or that birthday party at the trampoline place, or Chuck E. Cheese or whatever, a lot of those places are good places to pick up germs," Sutter said.
When it comes to checkups, Sutter said parents should be taking their kid to a pediatrician on a yearly basis once they hit school age, but if a parent is noticing pro-longed unusual behavior, bring them in.
"If it seems like they're having a cold for longer than expected, usually within a week, most cold illnesses are going to resolve on their own," Sutter said. "If it's a prolonged illness, if it's affecting their activities longer than a few days, so what I mean by that is if they're significantly fatigued."
Sutter said things can be done at home as well, such as making sure your kids are getting plenty of sleep, eating healthy, staying physically active and washing their hands on a regular basis.