During cold and flu season, the youngest children actually have the most germs.

Forget colorful leaves. Any caregiver knows that the real symptoms of fall babies are coughing, sneezing, and sneezing.

Autumn marks the beginning of respiratory virus season, when colds, flu and other bugs begin to spread – especially among very young children.

A recent study confirms what many families intuitively know: The youngest students have the most germs.

Pre-kindergarten and elementary school children showed Highest virus detection rate compared to older students and staff, according to research published in the journal Pediatrics.

“Young children can have as many as 10 respiratory viruses a year as their immune systems become familiar with different infections for the first time,” said Dr. Jennifer Goldman, a pediatrician at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, MO, who co-led the study.

Young children are more likely to get the virus

Goldman and her colleagues analyzed nasal swabs and symptom reports from more than 800 students and staff in a large school district in Kansas City from November 2022 to May 2023.

They found that overall, more than 85 percent of participants were found to have at least one respiratory virus during that time, and more than 80 percent had an episode of acute respiratory illness — though not necessarily at the same time.

More specifically, 92 percent of pre-kindergarten and elementary school children were found to have the virus, while nearly 86 percent of middle school students, nearly 77 percent of high school students and 76 percent of staff were found to have the virus.

The study found that the youngest children, ages 3 to 5, also had the highest rates of actual disease.

Most of the viruses were types that cause the common cold, including rhinovirus, which was found in 65 percent of participants, and seasonal coronavirus types, which were found in about 30 percent. The virus that causes COVID-19 was found in about 15 percent of the people studied.

Study confirms experiences of pediatricians who are parents

The new study provides a baseline look at the burden of the virus in school settings, Goldman said.

It also corroborates the real-world experience of pediatricians like Dr. Nicole Torres of the University of Miami Health System who are parents.

“I can say this for my own children, who are now teenagers: They are sicker than they were when they were younger,” she said.

The study also matches previous research that found young children play a significant role in spreading respiratory viruses in the home. Dr. Cary Byington was co-author of a University of Utah study published in 2015 that recruited 26 households to take nasal swabs from everyone living in the home, every week for a year.

That study found that the virus was detected half of the weeks of the year in children under 5, recalled Byington, now at the University of California, San Diego.

“And if you live in a household with multiple children, that ratio increases even more, so it can seem as if someone is always sick,” she said.

How to prevent disease – or at least try

Experts agree that preventing the disease in children at school or at home can be difficult.

He said it is important to stay updated on COVID-19 and influenza vaccinations. Similarly, washing hands frequently, learning to cover coughs and keeping hands away from eyes, nose and mouth. Cleaning and sanitizing frequently touched surfaces and objects and optimizing fresh air are also important.

When young children become sick, the best treatment is often supportive care such as extra fluids and rest. In severe cases, medical providers may recommend medications to reduce fever or antiviral medications.

However, long-standing symptoms such as cough may take a few weeks to resolve completely. By then, the child may catch a cold again.

“I tell parents of young children to expect them to be sick about once every month, every month and a half,” Torres said. “It will feel like that.”