Indiana doctors seeing an uptick in respiratory illnesses - FOX 59 Indianapolis

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INDIANAPOLIS – It Is the time of year when health professionals say they are seeing an uptick in all sorts of respiratory illnesses.

Local hospitals and clinics are starting to see more patients trickle in right now and that is likely no surprise during the peak of a busy holiday season.

“We’ve had a substantial uptick,” said Dr. Ethan Blocher-Smith, a primary care physician with IU Health. “Just as you would expect with a lot of social gatherings and a lot of time spent inside and cold weather bringing down that immune system response so that we see those respiratory illnesses sneak through.”

Among a plethora of illnesses, Dr. Bocher-Smith said flu and COVID cases are the highest. State data shows Indiana is seeing more than 900 COVID cases alone on a daily basis.

“At this point, it’s really a matter of us trying to help minimize risks through prevention,” he said. “And then helping to provide the treatment if that ends up being the case.”

Blocher-Smith said the flu, COVID and other respiratory illnesses all have very similar symptoms. He said patients need to be mindful of symptoms like consistently high fevers above 103 and 104 degrees that do not come down with Tylenol, dehydration, difficulty breathing and fatigue.

“If you’re having enough systems that this is causing you a problem, come in, get swabbed, we’ll figure out what it is and if it’s something we can help you with, we will,” he said.

Among other sicknesses, RSV is also on the rise right now among young children and older adults. Blocher-Smith said he usually sees about five to 10 cases of RSV in the summer.

“Around these sorts of times of year we end up having 40 cases a week, 50 cases a week, and that’s essentially where we’re at right now,” he said.

No matter the type of illness, doctors say it’s best not to push your body too far.

“It is way better to stay home and not go to the gathering and not get everyone else sick than it is to enjoy your hour of fun and cause everyone else days or weeks of suffering,” Blocher-Smith said.

Health professionals also say it is important to clean surfaces around the home, practice good hygiene like coughing or sneezing into your shoulder and frequently wash your hands.

Several hospitals across Marion County have also implemented temporary visitor restrictions amid a recent rise in respiratory illnesses.

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