OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Kids across the metro finally get a snow day, and many parents are at home with their kids.
But for more and more moms and dads, it's likely not the first time they've been home with the kids lately. The flu is surging right now and hitting children especially hard.
- One Omaha mom says all four of her kids, herself, and her husband got the flu this season, saying it's the worst they've experienced.
- What's to blame? Dr. Philip Boucher says life is back to normal post-Covid and fewer people are getting the flu shot.
- Dr. Boucher says to avoid people who are sick and says it's not too late to get a flu shot.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
"My son will tell me, 4 kids went home today Mom,” said Carey Griffin, an Omaha mom of 4 kids under 11.
Like many families, Griffin’s was hit hard by the flu this year.
"I feel like somebody goes down, the next one goes down, somebody returns to school, someone brings home something else and it's a different variant every time," Griffin said.
She says it's not just her house, she's hearing it from her clients too.
"Everybody is staying sick longer, all of their kids are getting it, you know if you dodge it, it eventually catches up with you,” Griffin said.
Pediatrician Dr. Philip Boucher, with Frontier Pediatric Care in Lincoln told me this year’s virus is bad, causing fever for multiple days, body aches and for some difficulty breathing.
"When it comes to how do I manage my child’s symptoms, making sure their fever is controlled if they are feeling uncomfortable, making sure they are hydrated, watching to make sure that their breathing is okay and that they are not getting dehydrated are the biggest things we can do," Dr. Boucher said.
What's to blame?
He says life is back to normal post-Covid and fewer people are getting a flu shot.
"It has been a number of years even before the pandemic where we had such a heavy burden of flu," Boucher said.
Now for Griffin, she's doing all she can to keep her kids healthy.
"For my family prevention means better food, better choices, better swaps, and then reigning it is as a whole,” Griffin said.
Dr. Boucher says to keep your family safe, avoid being around people who are sick, and he says it’s not too late to get a flu shot.
