Holiday Sickness: What to Know About Flu, Pneumonia, and Staying Healthy

The holidays are a time for joy, family, and celebration, but unfortunately, they can also be a breeding ground for illness. Urgent Care centers across the Lehigh Valley are seeing a surge in cases of flu and pneumonia, particularly among younger people who don’t typically get the illness.

Flu Season Surge

“Taking care of yourself is super important,” says Dr. Daived Abboud with Patient First in Allentown. “Usually from being in close contact with family members during Hanukkah, Christmas,” he explains, noting the increase in patients seeking treatment.

Dr. Abboud emphasizes that flu symptoms can vary widely. “The flu could present in a range or array of acute onset, which means quick onset symptoms; you’re fine one day and the next day you just have runny nose, congestion, body aches, fever, chills, earache, pain,” he explains. “The flu doesn’t always present this way. You can have a simple ear infection, feeling of ear pain, and no fevers and chills; that could also be caused by the flu. Same thing with a sore throat and so on and so forth.”

Studies show that some of the pneumonia treated with antibiotics decreases morbidity and mortality. Abboud explained.