BOISE, Idaho — Schools throughout the Treasure Valley started back up again, which means kids are more exposed to getting the flu, colds, and Covid-19.
Health officials telling Idaho News 6 their clinics have seen an uptick of kids recently. Additionally, parents say that in just the first few days of school, their kids have fallen sick with flu-like symptoms or tested positive for Covid.
"He woke up with a sore throat on the 3rd day of school," said Kirsta Breza, a Kuna School District parent.
Breza is a mom whose two kids go to schools within the Kuna School District. She tells me it has become normal for her kids to get sick following the return of the school year, and despite her giving her kids vitamins daily and doing as much preventative care to avoid it, this year wasn't any different.
"It's almost every year that it's the first and second week of school that they get sick, after that it's fine," said Breza. She isn’t the only Boise parent who tells us her kids have all tested positive for COVID already.
She said that her kid's school nurse advised them to quarantine for 5 days before returning to school and when returning to have her kids wear a mask.
"I believe it's required they just asked us to do that, and out of respect for all the other students we sure will," said Julianne Donnelly Tzul, a Boise School District parent.
We reached out to St. Luke's who says they've seen an uptick recently of kids stopping by clinics following the first days of school. While COVID cases seem to be stable, there are different illnesses they are seeing kids more often for.
"Right now in the community, we are seeing a fair amount of rhinovirus as well as influenza A and one called Human Metapseudovirus," said Henry Thompson, the Medical Director of Children for St. Luke's.
The Nampa School District tells us they are seeing an uptick in COVID cases compared to this same point last year, but nothing compared to the year before.
Breza says if schools change COVID policies she will consider homeschooling, like she has in the past.
"If masks are mandated or COVID vaccines, my kids will be at home with me," said Breza.
Local health officials say they expect for illnesses to peak between the winter months so they suggest parents remind their kids to wash their hands, especially right before eating.
