Flu, COVID-19, and strep throat cases are keeping kids out of school in some Kentucky school districts. A pediatric nurse practitioner in Estill County said kids are being hit hard.
"I honestly think this is probably the worst I've seen it. I've been in pediatrics since 2009 and this is the worst I've ever seen it," said Jennifer Maupin, owner of A Plus Pediatrics in Irvine.
"Everything seems to be hitting harder and lasting longer than it used to," she added.
Maupin said some of the kids she's seeing, she says, are getting sick with multiple illnesses at once.
"We're seeing, not just COVID by itself, not just flu by itself, or not just strep by itself. We're having a lot of flu with strep, or we've actually had flu, COVID, and strep combined," Maupin said.
Maupin says children often aren't able to fully recover from one illness before another one strikes.
"We're seeing a lot of kiddos bounce back to school six days later and then they're right back in the office and parents are saying they're just not getting better, and they assume that it's still from the flu or still from that one illness, but it's turned into something else," Maupin said.
School districts around the area have closed due to illness. Estill County Schools and Berea Independent Schools are out for the rest of the week.
Maupin says if kids are sick, parents need to be aware of how long they could be contagious and do what they can to help their immune systems bounce back.
"If you are home from school, take that time to clean your kids' backpacks, truly rest, and make those kiddos go to bed when they're supposed to," Maupin said.
