Respiratory and Seasonal Illnesses
Fall, winter and spring bring colds, flu, RSV, strep and other respiratory illnesses. Here you'll find information on those seen most often in kids, including the latest variants of COVID-19. You'll also find helpful information on symptoms, care and prevention.
Respiratory symptoms can sometimes look the same. When your child isn't feeling well, you want to help them find relief, fast! Learn about the common symptoms for cold, flu, and other respiratory illnesses and where to go for treatment.
- 5 ways to prepare for an allergy emergency | Cook Children's
- 7 tips for treating allergies | American Academy of Pediatrics
- Allergy causes in children: what parents can do | American Academy of Pediatrics
- Allergy shots | Cook Children's
- Blood test: allergen-specific immunoglobulin e (ige) | Cook Children's
- Dust mite control: tips for parents | American Academy of Pediatrics
- Eczema: how to help your child avoid the itch | American Academy of Pediatrics
- Egg allergy | Cook Children's
- First aid: allergic reactions | Cook Children's
- Food allergies (topic center) | Cook Children's
- Hay fever triggers: tips for parents | American Academy of Pediatrics
- Is it allergies or a cold? How to tell the difference | American Academy of Pediatrics
- Kids and allergies: what to know | Cook Children's
- Seasonal allergies (hay fever) | Cook Children's
- Serious allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) | Cook Children's
- 9 asthma triggers and what to do about them | American Academy of Pediatrics
- Asthma (topic center) | Cook Children's
- Asthma Fables and Facts | American Academy of Pediatrics
- Asthma flare-ups | Cook Children's
- Asthma and Food Allergies | American Academy of Pediatrics
- Asthma Gadgets: How to Use a Dry Powder Inhaler - DiskusVIDEO | American Academy of Pediatrics
- Asthma Gadgets: How to Use a Spacer with a Mask VIDEO | American Academy of Pediatrics
- Asthma Gadgets: How to Use a Spacer without a Mask VIDEO | American Academy of Pediatrics
- Asthma Management at School | American Academy of Pediatrics
- Asthma medicines | Cook Children's
- Asthma Management at School | American Academy of Pediatrics
- Asthma Medicines: Long-term Control | American Academy of Pediatrics
- Asthma Medicines: Quick Relief | American Academy of Pediatrics
- Asthma Predictive Index | American Academy of Pediatrics
- Asthma triggers | Cook Children's
- Cats and Children with Asthma | American Academy of Pediatrics
- Do allergies cause asthma? | Cook Children's
- Exercise and Asthma - HealthyChildren.org | American Academy of Pediatrics
- Exercise-induced asthma | Cook Children's
- How to handle asthma flare-ups | Cook Children's
- How to use your child's nebulizer | Cook Children's
- Keeping an asthma diary | Cook Children's
- Managing asthma | Cook Children's
- What is asthma? | Cook Children's
- What's an asthma action plan? | Cook Children's
- When to go to the ER if your child has asthma | Cook Children's
- Asthma specialty program | Cook Children’s
Colds are caused by viruses (these are much smaller than bacteria). A sneeze or a cough by someone with a virus can then be breathed in by another person, making them sick. People can get colds year-round, but they are most common in the winter months.
Your child probably will have more colds, or what are called "upper respiratory infections," than any other illness. In the first two years of life alone, most children have eight to ten colds. And if there are older school-age children in your house, you may see even more, since colds easily pass from one child to another.
Helpful cold resources
At the end of 2019, a new type of coronavirus, called SARS-CoV-2, began making people sick with flu-like symptoms. The illness it causes is called coronavirus disease-19 — COVID-19, for short. The virus spreads easily and has affected people all over the world.
Everyone 6 months of age or older should get an updated COVID-19 vaccine this 2023–24 season. The updated vaccine protects against the variants that are now most common.
Helpful COVID-19 resources
The flu is an infection of the respiratory tract (nose, throat, and lungs). It's caused by a virus that spreads easily from person to person. Flu viruses usually cause the most illness during the colder months of the year. In the United States, flu season is from October to May.
Kids who get the flu can develop pneumonia or get even sicker from other kinds of infections (like bacterial infections). If this happens, many will need medical care in the hospital. So it's important for them not to be near anyone who has the flu or flu-like symptoms.
Helpful flu resources
Avian flu - HealthyChildren.org
1 out of every 4 people who get measles in the United States will be hospitalized. 1 or 2 out of every 1,000 children in the United States who get measles will die from the disease, even with the best care.
1 de cada 4 personas que contraen sarampión en los Estados Unidos será hospitalizada. 1 o 2 de cada 1,000 niños en los Estados Unidos que contraen sarampión morirán a causa de la enfermedad, incluso con la mejor atención.
Respiratory syncytial (sin-SISH-ul) virus (RSV) is a major cause of respiratory illness in children. The virus usually causes a common cold. But sometimes it infects the lungs and breathing passages and can cause breathing problems in infants and young children. RSV infections are most common from fall through spring.
Sometimes RSV can lead to bronchiolitis or pneumonia, especially in premature babies; infants younger than 1 year old; and kids with diseases that affect the lungs, heart, or immune system (such as asthma).
Helpful RSV resources
Infographic What is RSV?
Strep throat is an infection caused by a type of bacteria called group A strep (GAS). These bacteria are the most common cause of bacterial sore throat in children and teens. While strep throat can happen any time of year, it is most common during late fall and early spring.
Strep throat is very contagious. Anybody can get it, but most cases are in school-age kids and teens ages 5 to 15. Infections are common during the school year, with peaks in winter and early spring, when big groups of kids and teens are in close contact.
Helpful strep throat resources
Support resources for families
Treating your child's fever - HealthyChildren.org
Preventing respiratory illnesses
Handwashing: a powerful antidote to illness
Protecting yourself and others from respiratory illness
Preventing the flu: resources for parents & child care providers