Wash your hands: How parents, childcare workers are handling seasonal illnesses

MARANA, Ariz. (KGUN) — 'Tis the season...to break out the tissues, hand sanitizer and wipes.

Arizona is seeing a rise in flu-like illnesses. Health officials we talked to say hand washing is an important part of not spreading germs.

"I know for me personally I have a child at home that has a lot of complex needs, so bringing those illnesses home to him can sometimes take things to a whole new level," Jennifer Contreras said.

According to the Arizona Department of Health Services Data Dashboard, Arizona has seen a spike of RSV cases and other seasonal illnesses just in the last few weeks.

There have been 815 confirmed RSV cases since the season started in October. Of those cases, 234 were from November 5 to 11, which is nearly double the cases from the week before. Looking at age groups, infants between 1 and 4 years old are most likely to get RSV, followed by infants under 1, then adults 15 to 65.

The CDC recommends immunizations for pregnant mothers and babies under 8 months.

"People forget that...1000s of Americans die every year. Like set aside COVID...set aside traffic accidents and heart attacks and cancer," Dr. Matt Heinz said. "I know almost all the situations, if those people had had a flu shot, they would have had, you know, a sniffle or sore throat, a little cough."

Daycare workers are also noticing the rise in seasonal illnesses.

"I've seen a lot of kids getting sick, like sneezing," Jazmin Rodriguez, daycare worker, said.

Tania Spivac, a daycare director said it's important for those who are sick to stay home.

"We like to sing little songs with them, so that they make sure that they're washing up really well," Spivac said. "Front and backs and tops and bottoms. And we also like to teach them to use their cough catchers."

For a look at the latest numbers reported in Arizona, click here.