Pediatricians in North Texas are seeing more cases of seasonal respiratory infections, with bronchitis and pneumonia among them.
"Children are back in school, the seasonal changes may exacerbate people's asthma," said Dr. Ray Tsai with Children's Health Pediatric Group. "So it would be a good idea if your child or you have a fever with respiratory changes and difficulty breathing, to call your doctor."
Cate Richardson of Cedar Hill rushed her 1-year-old son, Alex, to the doctor's office.
"He started wheezing and having shortness of breath and [I was] just concerned about him," said Richardson. "We went to the pumpkin patch. You know, it was hot and there was dust flying around everywhere, so maybe that led to it."
Respiratory problems are rising just as flu season begins, and doctors say now is the time to get a flu shot.
"It's very important that we don't all get sick at the same time," said Tiffany Monk of Tyler, who brought her family to Children's Health for flu shots.
Children's Health Pediatric Group is offering free flu shots to the first 200 people who attend a community health fair on Saturday, Oct. 17, beginning at 10 a.m.
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"We haven't seen a lot of cases of the flu yet, but it's important to get the flu vaccine now because it does take a few weeks for your body to learn to fight off the flu," said Tsai.
The health fair will be be held at the Children's Health Pediatric Group Bachman Lake location, at 2750 W. Northwest Highway in Dallas.
