Summer Sick Visits: What's Going Around and When to Call Us
Swimmer's ear, stomach bugs, heat rash, tick bites — summer has its own sick visit season. Here's what to watch for and when to bring your child in.
School's out, the sun's up, and kids are everywhere but inside. Summer should look like that.
But summer sick visits are common, and they usually involve the warm-weather illnesses and injuries kids pick up this time of year — things like swimmer's ear, stomach bugs, heat-related illness, tick bites, and sunburn. For parents and caregivers in Eastern Kentucky, knowing what to watch for and when to call for medical care can help you treat problems quickly and avoid complications while kids are spending more time outside.
Here's what we see most at A+ Pediatrics this time of year, along with what you can manage at home and when it's time to get your child seen.
How to Recognize and Treat Swimmer's Ear During Summer Activities
Swimmer's ear is one of the most common summer sick visits we see. It's an infection of the outer ear canal, not the middle ear infection your child might get in winter.
It starts when water gets trapped inside the canal. The signs are pain when you tug on the earlobe, itching deep in the ear, and sometimes drainage. Your child might say it hurts to chew. Fever is usually absent.
This one won't clear up on its own. It needs antibiotic ear drops. If your child is complaining about ear pain after pool or creek time, call us. We can get them in the same day.
How to Identify and Manage Summer Stomach Bugs in Children
Summer stomach bugs surprise a lot of parents. Vomiting and diarrhea are common summer illnesses for children, and summer sick visits often involve dehydration, heat exhaustion, and viral infections. We associate them with winter, but viral gastroenteritis — often called a stomach bug — can circulate year-round. Warm weather also brings more food safety risk at cookouts and family gatherings. Noroviruses are the most common cause of viral gastroenteritis, and also the most common cause of foodborne illness worldwide. Rotavirus is the leading cause of viral gastroenteritis in children.
If your child is vomiting or has diarrhea, the first priority is hydration. Viral gastroenteritis can also cause watery diarrhea and stomach cramps. Pedialyte or a similar electrolyte drink works better than plain water for young kids. Small, frequent sips beat big gulps every time.
When to Call Us
Bring them in or call if any of these apply:
- Your child is under 6 months old and vomiting
- They haven't urinated in 8 hours, or you're seeing signs of dehydration like dry mouth, no tears when crying, or unusual lethargy
- Vomiting or diarrhea has lasted more than 48 hours
- There's blood in the stool
- High fever is present alongside the stomach symptoms
Dehydration is the main problem with viral gastroenteritis, and children can lose fluids faster than adults — especially in hot weather. Most stomach bugs run their course in a day or two, and many children recover quickly, but some symptoms can last up to 14 days. If it's stretching past that, or your child looks worse instead of better, that's when we want to hear from you. Thorough handwashing is the best way to help prevent viral gastroenteritis at home.
Heat Rash and Heat-Related Illness
Kentucky summers are no joke. Warm-weather visits also commonly include heat rash, insect bites, and other skin problems. When kids are outside for hours in July, summer sick visits can quickly involve heat illness and infections. Grass and weed pollens can also trigger summer allergies or asthma flare-ups in some children.
What Is Heat Rash?
Heat rash shows up as small red bumps or blisters, usually in skin folds or under clothing: the neck, armpits, or diaper area. It happens when sweat glands get blocked.
It looks alarming but is usually harmless. Keep the skin cool and dry, dress your child in loose lightweight clothing, and let the area breathe. It clears on its own within a few days. If it spreads significantly or your child seems uncomfortable, we're happy to take a look.
What Is Heat Exhaustion?
Heat exhaustion is more serious. Watch for heavy sweating, pale or flushed skin, weakness, dizziness, headache, nausea, or cool clammy skin. Move your child somewhere cool right away, offer fluids, and apply cool cloths. If they're not improving within 30 minutes, call us.
Heat stroke is a medical emergency. Hot dry skin, confusion, or loss of consciousness means call 911.
Summer Tick Checks and Access to Prevention
Ticks are common in Eastern Kentucky. Lyme disease is one concern, but Rocky Mountain spotted fever is also present in this region and can be serious.
After any time outdoors in wooded or grassy areas, check your child's entire body. Focus on the hairline, behind the ears, underarms, belly button, and behind the knees.
If you find a tick that's been attached, remove it with fine-tipped tweezers. Grasp it as close to the skin as possible and pull upward with steady pressure. Don't twist, crush, or apply petroleum jelly.
Call us if the tick was attached for more than 24 hours, if you're unsure how long it was there, or if you notice a bull's-eye rash, fever, or flu-like symptoms in the days after. We take tick exposure seriously and won't brush off your concerns.
For general bug bites, over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream and antihistamines handle most reactions. If a bite becomes very swollen, warm, or develops red streaking spreading from the site, come in. That's a sign of infection.
How to Prevent and Treat Sunburn in Children During Summer
Mild sunburn is manageable at home. Cool baths, aloe vera gel, and extra fluids help. Avoid butter, toothpaste, or oil-based products — those trap heat and make it worse.
Bring your child in if the burn covers a large area, causes blistering, or is paired with fever, chills, headache, or confusion. Severe sunburn in young children can cause dehydration and deserves an evaluation.
The best approach is prevention. SPF 30 or higher, reapplied every two hours, does the job. For babies under 6 months, keep them out of direct sun and covered. Sunscreen isn't recommended for that age group.
We're Here All Summer for Families
Urgent care-style same-day sick visit services are available Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM for children and young adults of all ages, from 0 to 21. If your child gets sick in the evening or on a weekend, after-hours telehealth runs weekday evenings from 5:30 to 9:30 PM and weekends from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
You don't need to be an existing patient to call with a question, and families can connect with our care team even if they are not established patients. We serve families across Estill, Lee, Jackson, Breathitt, Wolfe, and Owsley Counties, accept Medicaid, and work hard to earn your trust through a supportive experience.
Summer is also a good time to schedule well-child visits to keep vaccines up to date. Call us at (606) 717-0177 or book online at apedsky.com today for your child's visit.
