Back-To-School Germ Wave: The Illnesses Doctors Say Are Rising This Fall
As students return to classrooms, doctors report a rise in illnesses including common colds (rhinovirus/adenovirus), COVID-19, hand‑foot‑mouth, flu, and strep throat, with symptoms often overlapping. Prevention centers on vaccines (flu and updated COVID-19), hand washing, masking for high-risk individuals, staying home when sick, and testing. Most illnesses are mild and manageable at home, but seek care for dehydration or breathing trouble; the goal is to reduce preventable illness, not to prevent every infection.