Doctors seeing increase in pneumonia cases

With the recent shift to decidedly cooler temperatures, local doctors have seen an increase in the frequency of pneumonia cases.

Dr. Ronnie Chu of the Chu Clinic said the cases are most commonly appearing in children but that people of all ages need to be cautious when outdoors.

“Mainly kids and a few adults, a lot of colds, coughs, congestion, bronchitis, sinus infection because of the weather,” Chu said. “A lot of folks go out to hunt and go to football games and when they go they don’t have anything wrapped around their heads or throat.”

In addition to encouraging people to avoid shaking hands whenever possible and to wash and sanitize hands frequently, Chu said the first step to avoiding colds that can turn into something worse is dressing appropriately for the weather.

“They need to wear a cap or toboggan, not a hat. Not a baseball cap. They need to wear a knit cap or toboggan on their head,” Chu said. “They need to wear something around their neck like a turtleneck and they need to wear gloves. Drink lots of fluids and keep warm.”

Chu also endorsed flu shots as a positive step in avoiding such illnesses before stating the importance for those who are ill to remain at home in an effort to keep from propagating the sicknesses further.