September sickness is, for many, an undesirable but frequent occurrence. It’s a common time of year for illness because of a mix of environmental and behavioural changes from the previous summer months, one expert says. Dr. Vera Kohut, a Toronto family physician, told CTV Your Morning Thursday the change in temperatures and in daily routines are the main culprits. “We spend the summer outside,” she said. “We’re not in close contact. There are a lot less respiratory viruses. We’re running around. We get fresh air.” September marks two changes: a fall in temperatures and children heading back to school. “So now we’re in closed quarters. The windows aren’t open. We don’t have as much circulating air around us because we’re in closed spaces,” she said. Even just a five-degree drop in temperature “changes the entire immune response in our nose,” she added. “We’re immunologically set up to receive a virus and not be able to combat it.” With the end of summer vacations, there might be more “stress,” she added. “Everybody’s going back to work,” she said. “The routines are back. We’re getting our kids back. The mornings are busy.” This could prompt changes in how rested we are, “because we’re not sleeping in as much,” she added. For kids especially prone to asthmatic symptoms, fewer respiratory viruses over the summer may mean fewer attacks, which could prompt them to use their puffers less. “So often medication use falls off,” she said of the warmer months. When the temperature starts to cool, the percolating inflammation flares up and “the kids start to get in trouble with their asthma symptoms,” she said. Keep the kids from getting sick She shared some tips to keep the kids - and yourself - from getting sick. Kids with puffers need to know how to use them and have a plan in place, she said. Kids who aren’t asthmatic should stick to the “simple rules” like keeping hands way from faces, washing hands regularly, and coughing or sneezing into a sleeve. “If you are sick, please don’t come to work. Don’t come to school. Stay at home,” she said. “If you have to go out, wear a mask.” A fever is usually cause to see a doctor, under these circumstances. Babies with fever should be taken to the doctor immediately while children with a fever that persists should be taken then, according to Kohut. A fever that comes and goes and/or lasts more than five days warrantees a doctor’s visit, she added.
