As the chill grips Houston, so does the clutch of respiratory illnesses among the city's youngest, with pediatricians warning of a notable uptick in coughs, colds, and RSV infections and their ripple effects on families and healthcare facilities. Dr. Krisine O’Connor, a pediatrician with UT Health Houston, pinpointed the trend, telling FOX26, "This is our season with pediatricians. There are so many respiratory illnesses with RSV, we have been seeing RSV all year long before it was more seasonal, and now it’s all year long. Also, there’s all kinds of cough and cold viruses going around."

Despite the surge, there's a silver lining, with flu numbers trending downward from last year, although RSV cases have surged and COVID-19 cases have stabilized. The Houston Health Department provided the latest figures to ABC13, revealing 3,547 flu cases, 2,175 RSV cases, and 7,290 COVID-19 cases since the start of the season, marking an evolving landscape of viral threats as Houstonians bundle up.

For the littlest patients suffering from colds and coughs, over-the-counter remedies are increasingly scrutinized. The FDA recently discouraged the use of such medicines in children under two, citing dangerous side effects. Instead, Dr. O’Connor advises returning to time-honored methods: "We are going back to the basics. So eating well is prevention, and if they are sick, it is saline suction, and I know we talked about how it is a little bit of a struggle doing it on the kids. Humidifier, and for kids over 12 months, you can do honey, which is a natural cough suppressant," as cited in FOX26 news.

Concern about the healthcare system being overrun lies dormant, as UTHealth Houston's Dr. Gautam Sikka optimistically projects that, although we are early in the season, he doesn't anticipate respiratory illnesses causing hospital overloads. He offered a timely health reminder in an interview with ABC13, stating, "Once the jackets come out, it is the time you'll see patients getting sick," highlighting that the time for vigilance is synonymous with the season's wardrobe changeover. As the leaves drop and Houstonians reach for their coats, perhaps the best defense against this year's viral onslaught will be, as it often is, a spoonful of prevention and a good dose of awareness.