Fresno County sees rise in respiratory illnesses

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- 'Tis the season for coughing, sneezing and runny noses.

Fresno county public health officials say they are currently seeing a rise in respiratory illnesses at local emergency rooms.

"That could mean they could have the flu, COVID-19, or RSV. Those are the 3 viruses circulating during the wintertime within our community," said Leticia Berber with Fresno Co. Public Health.

According to the CDC, symptoms can range from: a fever, chills, fatigue (tiredness), cough, runny or stuffy nose, to name a few.

Emergency medicine doctor with UCSF Fresno, Kenny Banh says there are two ways to prevent getting respiratory viruses, starting with getting vaccinated if you are eligible.

"The second part of prevention is honestly just basic care, right? Making sure that if you're sick you're trying to stay home, not spreading to others, considering wearing masks in crowded indoor spaces," said Dr. Banh.

Valley Children's is also starting to see more kids come into the hospital, but pediatricians say its important to know when to have your children visit their primary care doctor versus the ER.

"If you have one of those kiddos who who really seems like they're struggling to get air in, they're using their tummy to breathe, they're using -- you can see their ribs kind of sucking in whenever they're breathing. They're not able to drink well, they're not able to eat well, these are all reasons you should sometimes have them seen at the emergency room," said Dr. Whitney Kalin with Valley Children's Hospital.

Dr. Banh adding knowing you are sick, is the best way to help yourself and others.

"We can get you tested. We can get you treated. We want to make sure that you don't wait until you're going to the hospital and needing those IV fluids and getting hospitalized. That's that's not the time to act. We need to act before that," said Dr. Banh.

UCSF Fresno offers daily vaccine clinics at no cost -- you can schedule an appointment on their website.

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