YORKTON, Sask. — The school year is only two weeks old, but for many Yorkton families, the return to classrooms has already brought an unwelcome tradition: coughs, runny noses and sick days.
For Yorkton mother Sarah Giroux, whose two daughters are in Grade 4 and Grade 2, the annual cycle started almost immediately.
“Myself and the girls are all sick with a head cold,” she said.
“Nothing like welcome back to school, here's a cold for everyone to enjoy.”
Giroux said the pattern is a familiar one.
“Healthy and no colds and then school starts and everyone's sick. Every year is the same old story.”
According to Dr. Ashok Chhetri, medical health officer with Population Health in southeast Saskatchewan, what many families are experiencing right now is not unusual.
“Currently, what we're mainly seeing is the common cold,” he said. “There are so many common cold viruses, but in our province rhinovirus is the most commonly detected one.”
Chhetri said rhinovirus, one of the leading causes of the common cold, circulates throughout the year, including during the summer months. Alongside colds, health officials are also seeing stomach bugs, strep throat and hand-foot-and-mouth disease, particularly among younger children.
Influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, commonly known as RSV, have not yet become widespread, he noted.
“What we're not seeing much of at this point is influenza and RSV. Those typically pick up in late October and continue through November and December,” said Chhetri. “Back-to-school season and flu season are kind of two different events, but they occur a couple of months apart.”
The youngest children tend to be hit hardest as they are exposed to a wide range of viruses for the first time.
A child attending daycare or preschool can experience between eight and 12 colds a year, Chhetri said.
“That can feel like they're sick continuously throughout the fall and winter,” he said. “It's really not a sign of a weak immune system. It's a young immune system meeting lots of viruses for the first time.”
While frequent minor illnesses are considered normal, Chhetri said parents should watch for signs that may require medical attention. Those include fevers lasting several days, difficulty breathing, dehydration, unusual drowsiness or symptoms that continue to worsen instead of gradually improving.
Older children generally experience fewer colds than preschoolers because they have already built immunity to many viruses, but Chhetri said seasonal illnesses can still have a significant impact.
As students return to school, public health officials are also reminding families to review routine immunizations and return consent forms sent home for school-based vaccination programs.
Public health nurses provide vaccinations in schools, including hepatitis B and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines in Grade 6 and tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis and meningococcal vaccines in Grade 8.
“My practical ask is just go through it, read it and send it back either way,” Chhetri said, noting many forms are simply forgotten in students' backpacks.
He also encouraged parents to ensure children are up to date on measles vaccinations following a significant increase in cases reported in Saskatchewan last year.
“We saw measles in the province last year a lot, really a lot,” he said.
While measles activity has decreased in Saskatchewan, Chhetri noted the disease continues to circulate in Canada. Parents are encouraged to seek medical advice if a child develops a high fever accompanied by a rash.
Vaccination rates have declined since before the COVID-19 pandemic, although health officials are beginning to see some improvement.
According to provincial data cited by Chhetri, approximately 75 per cent of Saskatchewan children had received two doses of measles vaccine by age two in 2024, down from pre-pandemic levels.
As Yorkton families navigate the start of another school year, Chhetri said the annual spike in colds is largely unavoidable.
For parents like Giroux, that comes as little surprise.
“Every year is the same old story,” she said. “School starts and everyone's sick.”
